


Jeff The Killer... Is My Father?

by CreepyPastaBoi



Series: The Skeleton's Legacy [3]
Category: Creepypasta - Fandom
Genre: Emotional, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2019-11-08 08:39:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 34
Words: 120,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17978003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CreepyPastaBoi/pseuds/CreepyPastaBoi
Summary: Feronia Rogers just turned fifteen and life is looking great for her. She has two wonderful parents and a nice home located deep in the woods but they are not an ordinary family... They are all killers and the time has come for her to go on her first solo mission. She is excited to show her parents that she is capable of killing on her own but after her first mission her world is turned upside down. Will she be able to recover from it?





	1. Chapter 1

I groaned. I was woken up by the sounds of birds chirping and it was loud. They must have been just outside my window. I hugged my pillow and nuzzled my face in the soft fabric. I wasn't ready to get up yet. Just a few more minutes... I tried but failed to go back to sleep. The birds were just too loud. I decided to get up. Obviously the birds didn't want me to get anymore sleep. I sat up and looked at the clock that was mounted on the wall and saw that is was almost seven in the morning. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and when I was more awake I realized something... 

_It was my birthday!_

I scrambled off the bed and rushed to the bathroom. The RV home that I lived in wasn't huge, but it was by no means small. I found that it was the perfect size. I brushed my teeth and washed up then got dressed in fresh clothes. It was supposed to be quite cold today so I made sure to dress warmly. I quickly brushed my hair but didn't bother to style it. I probably should have since it's short so it's always a mess but I didn't care. I slipped on my favorite purple headband and I was good to go. 

I looked in the mirror and stared at my reflection. _Fifteen years old_. I could hardly believe it. It almost didn't seem real. I was a young woman now. I was almost an adult but to my parents I was still a child. It would always be a little girl to them. It was annoying but there wasn't much I could do about it. I just sucked it up and learned to deal with it. There was no stopping my parents. 

After I got ready I threw on my jacket and boots and hopped out of the RV that I called home. I pulled my cost tightly around me as a gust of wind hit me and quickly rushed over to the tent nearby. I unzipped it and made my way inside, making sure to zip it closed to keep the heat in. I turned around and looked at the two people who were sleeping in the tent. It appeared as if my entrance didn't wake up the two occupants. It wasn't like I was trying to be quiet or anything. I shrugged and removed my coat. It was so warm in the tent that I didn't need it. I dropped it on the ground and scooted over to the mattress. This tent was so big that a mattress for a double bed fit easily with room to spare. On said mattress were my parents, both sound asleep. Papa was snoring lightly while Zaza was a quiet sleeper. 

I smiled at the sight before me. Zaza was cuddled up beside Papa's chest and had a content smile on their face while Papa had an arm around their waist. I loved seeing moments like this. They really loved each other which they expressed all of the time. As I grew up, they really made me believe that true love existed. They hardly fought with each other and Papa definitely did everything he could to express his love. They were relationship goals, for sure. I went in the tent and sat at the bottom of the mattress. It didn't wake up my parents or even cause them to stir. It always amazed me how they could sleep through pretty much everything. It made me wonder if they were even human. I nudged Papa's leg to wake him up but he didn't react so I nudged him again, this time a little harder. He let out a small groan and pulled Zaza closer to him. Zaza smiled in their sleep but neither woke up. I huffed and tried again. This time Papa finally woke up. He lifted a hand and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes then looked down at me. 

"Hey Feronia. What time is it?"

"Time for you and Zaza to wake up!" I crawled on top of both him and Zaza and wedged myself in between them. Even with all of that, Zaza still didn't wake up. Damn they were a heavy sleeper. "Zaza! Up! It's my birthday!" I rolled on top of them and tapped their nose repeatedly. I learned at a young age that the more annoying I was, the more likely Zaza would wake up. They sighed and I knew they were finally awake but they didn't open their eyes. Instead they wrapped their arms around me and held me close. They held me so tightly that I felt like I was going to be crushed to death.

"Hush child... It's still early..."

"But it's my birthday!" I whined.

"We have all day to celebrate. Hush."

"Darling, if Feronia wants us to get up then I think we should." Papa said. "It's her birthday after all. She gets to boss us around all day today."

"Yeah!" I agreed. "I'm fifteen now! I'm an adult."

"Nooo! You'll always be my baby girl!" Without warning, Zaza attacked me with kisses. I shrieked with laughter and tried to push them off but they were too strong for me. They held me to their chest as the kissing assault continued. They kissed every inch of my face and it tickled.

"Papa! Help!" Was all I was able to say in between the laughter. I laughed so hard that my cheeks and sides began to hurt. 

"He can't help you now." Zaza said as they continued kissing. "He is powerless against me!"

"Oh really?" Papa said in a sly voice. Zaza paused the kissing attack and looked over at Papa with a somewhat confused look on their face. Papa then yanked Zaza towards him and this sudden move not only startled Zaza but stunned them just enough for me to make my escape. I scrambled to the end of the mattress then turned to see Papa pull Zaza into a kiss. Gross. I had nothing against kisses and longed for my first kiss but I didn't want to watch my parents make out. Who would?

"Ew! Old people shouldn't make out! That's nasty!"

"Hey!" Zaza said after pulling away from the kiss. "We aren't even that old!"

"Still old to me." I saw my parents look at each other with mischievous grins and I grew suspicious. What were they planning..? I found out almost instantly. Zaza grabbed me by my upper arms and pulled me onto their lap where they and papa proceeded to attack my face with kisses. I burst out laughing and tried desperately to escape but Zaza had a firm hold on me. Escape was impossible. My whole body hurt from laughing and tears were streaming down my face. "A-Alright! I surrender! Please stop!" They did but not right away. They let me suffer for a few more seconds. They were so evil!

"Have you learned your lesson, my little forest goddess?" Papa said as he pinched my cheek. I shoved his hand away and nodded. "Good."

"Can we get to celebrating my birthday already?" 

"Sure." Zaza said with a smile. 

“Awesome! You said we can go into town to a restaurant, right? Can we get going now?”

“Yeah of course.” Papa replied with a smile. “Just let us get dressed and we can go.”

"Okay!" 

They put on their boots and coats before leaving the tent and went inside the RV where all of the clothes were kept. I felt bad that they slept in a tent every night while I had a proper bed but they made the choice to give it to me. By the time I had turned thirteen they decided that I was too old to sleep in between them and I thought so too. I wasn’t a little kid anymore and I wanted my own space. I told them I could sleep outside in a tent but for whatever reason they thought it wasn’t safe for me to do that. I don’t know why because we are out in the middle of nowhere and halfway up some mountain. The forest we are in is so dense and we are so far from the nearest trail that no one could find us unless they were really looking but even then it would be hard. Maybe they were worried that should someone find us and attack, I would be the first target being in the tent. If they were the first ones to be attacked then they would stand a better chance as they had more experience and were much stronger than me. Together they made quite the team. 

I watched them on missions ever since I was five years old. The way they work together is an amazing thing to watch. To me it seems like they can read each other’s minds. They are able to communicate to each other just by giving certain looks. It made me believe that soul mates were real and that their souls were actually connected, just like every story described. It was like they could speak to each other telepathically. I smiled to myself as I thought about my parents. I could not have been luckier. They were the best and I hoped to grow up to be just like them. I wanted to find my true love and live a happy life but it would be rather difficult... Living the life we do we have to be extra careful when going into a populated area. We can’t have anyone suspicious of us. That was really the only thing I hated about my life. I wanted to live like a normal fifteen year old. I wanted to have a group of friends who would go to the mall with me and talk about boys with and I wanted to go to high school and maybe get a date with a football player but that would never happen... That isn’t the kind of life a killer could have... And if I did meet someone they can’t know or ever find out about who I really am because if they did I would have to kill them... 

I had a feeling that my parents felt bad for forcing me into this life because whenever I talked about what I could be doing with other girls my age they had a certain look on their face and looked at each other. They must have felt guilty for bringing me up like this but really it couldn’t have been any different. The only way they could have given me a normal life was to leave me at an orphanage but they couldn’t even think of doing something like that. From the moment I was born they had fallen in love with me and the thought of giving me up was out of the question. I was glad they didn’t because I knew there was no other couple in the world who would love me the way my parents do. They do absolutely everything to make my life as happy as they can.

I put my coat back on and left the tent. I shivered as the cold air hit me. I hated winter. I hated the cold. Summer was my favourite season but winter wasn't all bad. I did enjoy snowball fights with my parents. We were all very competitive which made it so much fun. We showed no mercy and it was every man for themselves. I chuckled at the memory of the most recent snowball fight we had. I had won after a very long and hard battle. Papa and Zaza worked together to try and bring me down but even the two of them couldn't defeat me. I threw a snowball at their faces which sent them to the ground and I kept throwing more to keep them both down. I was so quick that neither could get up and admitted defeat. Papa was practically begging for his life. It was so much fun and I was laughing the entire time. I smiled to myself and looked up at the towering trees. I could see the twisted branches, bare of leaves dancing with the wind. The wind picked up and began to bowl and a small branch broke off from a tree. I watched as it slowly fell down and landed on the frozen river that ran past our home. 

I wondered how solid the ice was and if it could hold my weight. It had been very cold the entire winter so it was possible. Only one way to find out. I walked over to the ice and put one foot on it. I put half my weight down to test how strong it was and nothing happened. I grew bolder and applied more weight. Still nothing. I was confident that it could hold my weight so I added a second foot and put my whole weight on the ice. There wasn't even a crack. I smirked and skated around. I skated up and down the river and enjoyed the scenery around me. I loved the forest and never grew tired of the sight. My love for it just made my name more appropriate as I grew up. Zaza picked out the perfect name for me. _Forest goddess_. That very accurately described me. I knew the forest so well that I never got lost. To my parents, everything looked the same but I noticed everything. Each tree was different which I noticed. I could look at the trees around me and tell which way was home or which way led into town. It was because of this skill my parents called me a 'little map'. That was just one of the many nicknames they had given me. 

I continued to skate around on the ice as I waited for my parents to get ready. They seemed to be taking _forever_! I get that the bathroom was quite small so they had to take turns using it but that shouldn't take too long for them to get ready. I had a feeling that they tried cramming both of themselves in it. That would make things a bit challenging. They could be so silly sometimes. It was almost hard to believe that they were cold blooded killers who had a combination of three hundred victims. At this point I had only killed eight people but I was never on my own. I went with them for every mission as they liked to call it and they would drug the people in the house and when I was five they let me make my first kill. I still remember that night. Zaza had handed me their knife and told me to just go for it. The best way was to drag the blade across their neck. I was very nervous and hesitated but with some encouragement I finally went up and did it. I was more than terrified when little five year old me saw the blood gush from the neck. The blood quickly soaked the person's clothes and onto the bed. 

When we got back home I had the worst nightmare I had ever had in my life. In the dream my parents had been killed and their bodies were covered in blood. I woke up screaming and it took a batch of Papa's cookies to calm me down. For the rest of the week I refused to go with them and swore I would never kill someone again. I vowed never to even hold a weapon for the rest of my life. They understood and Zaza stayed home with me while Papa went off in the nights but roughly a week later I changed my mind. I wanted to try it again even though I was almost positive it would traumatize me even more. I was probably going to have another nightmare and god knows what it would be about but something inside me told me to try again. For some reason I wanted to hold the knife again. I wanted to feel the old wooden handle in my hand and I wanted to feel the sharp blade cut through skin. The feeling was oddly satisfying. I wanted to experience it again. 

I went up to my parents after dinner one night and explained it to them. They were surprised and asked if that was what I really wanted. I said it was and we all made plans to go out that very night. We did and that night I took another life but this time I wasn't scared. I felt... satisfied. Like I had just scratched an itch that was bugging me. It was a really strange feeling. Zaza was proud of me and from then on I had gone on to make six more kills. Because I was still young they didn't want me to take too many lives. I wasn't too sure why and whenever I asked them I always got the same response of, "you are still young." Eventually I just gave up on asking. 

I heard the door of the RV open and turned to see my parents get out. I got off the ice and walked over to them. "Took you long enough."

"Sorry. Papa was hogging the bathroom." Zaza said with a cheeky grin on their face as they nudged Papa with their elbow. Papa didn't looked amused as he looked over at Zaza.

"Very funny..." Zaza and I started laughing which caused his face to go red as it often did when he was teased. "Enough... Let's get going shall we? I don't know about you two but I'm starving."

"Yes! Food!" I exclaimed and began to run off into the forest but I was quickly stopped when Papa grabbed me by the shoulder. 

"Hold up. Don't go running off on us now."

"Sorry... I'm just excited!" 

"We know." I looked over at Zaza who smiled. They reached out their hand so I went to stand next to them and took it while taking Papa's hand with my other one. Together we all walked towards the town. About halfway there or so I let go of their hands and jogged a bit ahead of them. They had to warn me multiple times to slow down which was a pain but this forest was so dense I could see why they would want me to stay close. I could easily get lost out here. I looked back at them and groaned when I saw just how far behind they were.

“Can you two move any slower?” I called back. They stopped talking and looked over at me.

“It’s a long walk.” Papa called out. “Let us enjoy the conversation.”

“You can talk all you want at the restaurant!”

“You cheeky thing!” I laughed at Zaza’s response. They exchanged looks then sped up. In roughly an hour we reached the edge of town. I could hear the cars driving past as everyone was on their way to work or school. Even though I wanted to live a normal life I was so glad I didn't have to go to school five days a week. It seemed boring from what Zaza told me. 

Just after we left the forest I felt something. It was the aura of someone who seemed to be watching us and close by. I looked around in the forest behind us but didn't see anything. _Strange_. I could definitely feel the presence of someone and whoever it was, they weren't too friendly... I could feel the menacing aura radiating off them. Whoever they were they wanted to cause us harm... Why? I didn't know but it was clear we were their targets.

"What's wrong?" Papa asked as he and Zaza looked back at me.

"Nothing..." I turned to face them and resumed walking. I didn't look at them but I could tell they were confused and a little concerned but I didn't care. I wanted to celebrate my birthday and if I told them of a dangerous person nearby, watching us they would surely cancel our plans. I couldn't let that happen. I was waiting for this for days.

We walked into town and the further we went, the weaker the aura became. That meant whoever it was was staying in the forest. That was good. They weren't going to follow us to the restaurant and we could enjoy the rest of the day in peace. I internally sighed with relief and quickly forgot all about the aura. I was now focused on my birthday celebration.

We walked about a block to my favorite restaurant. I had only been there a handful of times as my parents tried to minimize my exposure to the town. They started bringing me for my birthday only five years ago. My tenth birthday was a big day for me as it was my first time ever going to town and ever since then I wanted to go back. Of course... with the life we lived we couldn't do so very often... We arrived at the restaurant and got my favourite spot, in a booth right by the window. I sat on one side and my parents sat on the other. I had a wonderful breakfast and I wonderful time with my parents. I had a feeling that today was going to be a good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who might not be aware, Zaza is a gender neutral term for parent much like mama or papa. There were a few options I found on a list but I like that one the most. Yes, Zaza is Skelly in case you haven't figured that out already.  
> It's obvious if you read the previous parts and if you haven't, what are you doing here? Lol you don't have to read them first for this to make sense but it certainly helps.


	2. Chapter 2

The breakfast was absolutely delicious! We all had pancakes but I had ones with chocolate chips while my parents had regular ones. They didn't particularly like sweets as much and didn't even put much maple syrup on their pancakes. I on the other hand practically drowned mine in the thick golden nectar of the gods. Zaza made a face when they saw just how much I poured on. Papa and I noticed their reaction and we laughed. "You really should ease up on the syrup darling." Zaza almost seemed disgusted.

"Let them be, babe." Papa said which was followed by a tic. I looked around and noticed that some people were staring at us. I didn't like that, especially with the looks they were giving us. When I looked back at my parents it was like they were oblivious to the looks. They must have been used to it... It made me feel bad for papa. "This is their birthday so they can enjoy as much syrup as they want." His voice snapped me back to reality.

"I guess..." Zaza smiled when papa kissed their cheek and I saw their face grow red. I loved how even after almost sixteen years together they still were so deeply in love with each other. To an outsider it would appear as if they had only just started dating. I watched as Zaza nuzzled their face in papa's sweater out of embarrassment and in response, papa wrapped and arm around their shoulders and kissed the top of their head. After a few seconds Zaza sat upright and tilted their head up to look at papa. Papa leaned over and planted his lips against theirs. I rolled my eyes and looked away. I tried to pay attention to my food but it was hard to do over the sounds of kissing and their giggles.

" _Seriously_?" I asked in slight annoyance. "Can you not do this in front of me? And on my birthday?"

"Oh, sorry." Zaza said quickly and moved away from papa. Both of them cleared their throats and returned to their food. I giggled and finished up my pancakes. They were so good. They were light and fluffy and the chocolate melted in my mouth. They were perfect for a birthday breakfast. We finished up the food and as we waited for the bill, Zaza reached over and held my hand. “Happy birthday baby girl.”

“Thanks Zaza.” I replied with a smile and gently squeezed their hand. It was rough from years of hardship while mine was soft and smooth.

“I can’t believe my little girl is already fifteen!” Papa said dramatically. Zaza and I giggled. “It feels like only yesterday you were born. Where did the time go? I remember when you were the smallest little thing. Barely seven pounds and now you're a young woman!”

“It sure went by fast.”

"I wish I could go back in time. I miss my baby girl."

"Papa..." My face flushed with embarrassment.

"Sorry but it's true. I miss the days when you were small and could fit on my shoulders. I loved carrying you around." I looked away from him as my face continued to heat up. The waiter had returned with the bill and I was positive they heard all that. They gave the bill to Zaza who paid and just as they handed the money over, papa had another tic. I glanced at the waiter who gave a strange look but didn't say anything. They probably didn't want to lose their job but I could tell from their aura that they were judging papa and quite harshly at that. I looked over at Zaza and knew as they could sense it too. Their aura was a bit tense but they didn't seem too bothered by it. I wondered just how many times they experienced this before I entered the picture.

They never said anything about the past before I arrived and I never understood why. Every time I asked they just said nothing special went on. They went on the run but never said why. I tried asking a few times before eventually giving up. They either dodged the question or told me to flat out drop the subject which made me curious as to what really happened. Clearly they were hiding something. All of this secrecy made me think up random scenarios as to what happened to them and what caused them to go on the run. One scenario I thought of was Zaza had to leave because their parents didn’t approve of their pregnancy with me so they left in order to keep me. It was something I could see them doing. Papa did tell me multiple times that they fell in love with me from the moment they found out about me at around a month or so into the pregnancy.

Now that the bill was paid we got up and left. Our next stop was to the mall. We were off to get my birthday present which was a locket. Preferably one in the shape of a heart but I would be happy with any kind. I grew up reading books where the main character had a locket with either pictures of their parents or lover and I loved the idea. I brought it up to my parents a few months back and asked if I could get one to put pictures of them in it. Zaza thought it was an adorable idea and promised we could get it on my birthday. In preparation for it, I took a picture of them so I could put it in the locket. All we had to do was print them out which we would also do at the mall as we didn't own a printer in the small RV home.

When we arrived at the mall we went straight to the jewelry store where I looked around. There were so many choices! So many different and beautiful necklaces but none were what I wanted so I kept looking. My parents browsed too and I wondered if they might finally buy wedding rings. They weren't technically married but they considered themselves to be after all these years together. I once overheard them talk about it but they never seemed to seriously consider it. I didn't know why but I guess it wasn't that important to them. I went back to browsing the selection of lockets but none really stood out to me. Most were silver and pretty boring looking. None were in the shape of a heart which is what I really wanted. The lady behind the counter noticed that I couldn't find anything so she called over to me. "Do you need any help?"

"Yeah. Do you have any other lockets?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. Right over here." She turned to the glass cabinet behind her and hanging in it were even more lockets. I went over and looked at them. It was there I saw the perfect one.

"May I see that one?" I asked as I pointed to a gold locket that was in the shape of a heart.

"Of course." She removed it from the cabinet and handed it to me. I looked at it and smiled.

"It's perfect! Papa! Zaza! I found it!" They walked over and looked at the necklace in my hands.

"It's pretty." Zaza said. "The gold suits you." I smiled and papa went to pay for it and I when that was done Zaza helped put it on. I walked out of the store with the biggest smile on my face. Now all we had to do was print the photos and put them in and my dream would be complete. We went into the photo store and handed one of the employees the USB stick with the two photos. I told them why I wanted them printed and they offered to put them in the locket for me. Of course I agreed because that meant one less step for me. They printed the photos at the correct size then took my locket so they could put them in. When they were done I took back the necklace and looked at the pictures inside. It was perfect. I felt the main character of my favorite story who had a locket with the pictures of her parents in it. The only difference between us was that her parents tragically died in a car accident. I smiled as I looked at the pictures of my parents. They both had the biggest smiles on their faces.

“You like your birthday present?” Zaza asked as we left the store.

“Zaza, I love it! Thank you so much!” I turned around and hugged them as tightly as I could. They chuckled and wrapped their arms around me in an even tighter hug. All of a sudden I felt Papa’s arms wrap around both of us and he lifted us off the ground. We both laughed as he squeezed us in a big bear hug and attacked our faces with kisses. “Papa! That tickles!” I tried desperately to cover my face but I was powerless against papa.

“Never!’ He said in between kisses. He set us down and continued to kiss us although it was mostly me. At some point Zaza managed to escape but Papa let them go. He grabbed onto me, pulled me against his chest and kept kissing my entire face. I was laughing so hard that my sides hurt and tears were running down my cheeks. “I got you now and there is no escape!”

“Z-Zaza! Help!”

“I’m sorry baby girl but I am powerless against Papa’s kisses.” Zaza was so mean! I continued to struggle against Papa and eventually I was able to escape his grasp and scurried away a few feet to catch my breath. I was able to escape thanks to his tic. It made him pause his kiss attack which allowed me to break free and run away.

“Oh no! My captive has escaped!” Papa dramatically fell to his knees and covered his eyes with one arm.

“Papa you are so embarrassing!” I covered my face with my hands and turned away. I saw some people looking at us and while the kids were a bit confused, the parents were trying to hold in their laughter. I was glad they found it funny... I didn't.

Papa chuckled and with Zaza’s help got back up to his feet. I could feel his presence come up behind me and he pulled me into another hug but this time it was gentle. I looked up at him and he planted a big kiss on my nose then forehead. “That’s my job as your father. I’m supposed to embarrass you.”

“I hate you so much…” I held back a laugh as I said that. I didn’t actually mean it. It was just something I said when he did something that was embarrassing. He chuckled and gave me another kiss, this time on the cheek but this time I pushed his face away. “Too many kisses!”

“Honey, there can never be enough kisses!” I turned to Zaza who was now right beside us. I knew what was coming. They were going to kiss me again but by now I was all done with kisses for today. I quickly dodged when Zaza tried to grab me and dashed a good few meters away. I was lucky to have been gifted with agility and speed. Two traits Zaza had in their younger years but lost them due to staying home and looking after me.

"You've had enough kisses for today." I said and looked at them both right in the eyes. " _Both_ of you."

"What? So no more kisses?" I turned to papa with an eyebrow raised. "Oh the _horror_!" My face turned red with embarrassment. Again. _Great_... He was starting again...

"Can we like, go get some ice cream then head back home?" I quickly said before he had the time to go full on drama king. We were out in the open so the last thing I wanted was to draw more attention to us. That was literally the first thing my parents taught me when introducing me to their very illegal lifestyle.

"Sure thing." Zaza chuckled. I sighed with relief and we made our way to the ice cream shop. It wasn't that big, just like every shop in this town but they still had so many flavors. I estimated they had at least thirty. Since it was my birthday, my parents let's me pick first. It was a hard choice but in the end I settled for a scoop of strawberry, a scoop of banana and a scoop of chocolate. I went to sit down and eat while my parents ordered and paid. With their ice cream in hand they came and sat with me at the table I was at and we enjoyed our delicious cold treat. Papa had a cone with strawberry and papa had a cone with chocolate.

We stayed there for about an hour as we ate and talked. I loved it. It had been a while since we were all able to be together and just talk because either papa or Zaza were off on a mission. Since we were in town and not at home we had to be careful not to talk about what they did for "work". Instead we talked about normal things such as the latest book we were reading or what movie we could watch for movie night. We always had movie nights on Wednesday. Since my birthday just so happen to fall on a Wednesday, tonight was the night we had a movie night. I was excited. The movie Venom had recently come out on DVD so we decided to go pick it up after we finished our ice cream so we could watch it back at home. The nice thing about our RV home was that it had a decent sized flat screen TV mounted on the wall across from the bed so for our movie nights we snuggled up in the bed and watched whichever movie we picked. I couldn't wait to get home.

When we finished the ice cream we headed to the video store where we picked up the Venom DVD. Papa and I were big fans of these kind of movies and anything to do with supers whether villains or heroes. Zaza wasn't that big of a fan and leaned more towards fantasy or sci-fi but they never said no to watching these movies with us. Movie nights were the rare time we could cuddle up and enjoy each other's company so there was no way they were going to pass up the opportunity. They were such a good spot about it as papa and I both knew how much they disliked these movies but they actually said that Venom seemed interesting. Was this a step forward in bringing them to the dark side? Papa and I joked about it as we left the store.

"Just because I said this was interesting does not mean I automatically like every other movie like this. You guys know they really aren't my thing."

"Well you're missing out because these movies are awesome!" I said. Zaza rolled their eyes.

"To you two, yes but my first love will always be fantasy."

"What about me?" I almost burst out laughing at what Papa had just said. It made both Zaza and I stop in our tracks. I slapped a hand over my mouth to keep from laughing while Zaza seemed to be at a loss for words. "Am I not your first love?"

"Oh shut up. You know what I mean."

"Babe, you're breaking my heart. I thought I was your first and only love." Papa walked over to Zaza and took their hands in his. Suddenly and unexpectedly he dropped to one knee and looked up at Zaza. My jaw dropped. "My darling, can I win you back with a proper proposal?"

"Oh my god, Tobias!" Zaza's face went bright red and I saw a bunch of people had stopped and were watching the scene unfold. I could feel their auras radiating off them. They were all waiting in anticipation for what was going to happen.

"My darling, I love you more than words can describe. I am nothing without you. You are my whole world and I cannot bear the thought of living without you." As I watched I tried so desperately to hold back my laughter. I knew this was papa being his silly self but everyone watching thought it was an actual marriage proposal. My sides hurt from holding back the laughter and I was snorting a bit as the air escaped my lungs. Zaza noticed everyone watching and grew super uneasy. They always hated crowds but papa continued. "You are my whole world and I want to grow old with you. I knew we were made for each other the moment I laid eyes on you. You took my breath away the day we met and you still do to this day."

"Toby I-" Zaza stopped when papa reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. I swear my jaw fell to the ground now. All laughter was gone. Papa wasn't just joking around. _This was serious_. He was _actually_ proposing! All the women watching gasped and so did Zaza and I.

"My darling, will you marry me?" He let go of Zaza's hand and opened up the box. Zaza gasped. From where I stood, I got a good look at the ring and I froze. It was absolutely stunning! It wasn't too fancy but it was by no means boring. Zaza covered their mouth with their hands and I saw tears forming in the corner of their eyes. Everyone held their breath as they waited for them to respond. My heart was racing as I waited even though I knew what the answer was going to be.

"Yes." Zaza squeaked out. "Yes. _Yes!_ Tobias Erin Rogers! Yes, I'll marry you!" Everyone around us cheered as papa slipped the ring on Zaza's finger. He then stood up, wrapped his arms around Zaza and kissed them. Zaza in return wrapped their arms around his neck and kissed back as tears streamed down their cheeks. I felt tears run down my own cheeks as I watched. My parents had been so focused on raising me all these years that they never had the time to even think about getting married but now that I was older and not as dependent on them they were finally able to focus on themselves.

When they pulled away from the kiss Zaza looked down at the ring that was now on their finger. "It's beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you." Papa kissed their cheek as he held them close. They had completely forgotten about me but it didn't bother me at all. They deserved this little moment together without worrying about me. Now they had the time to focus on taking their relationship to the next level and I got to be a part of it. I was so going to take as many pictures as possible of their wedding.

When Zaza finally came back to earth after this emotional moment they wiped their tears away and turned to me. With a smile I walked over to them and gave them a big hug. "Congratulations! It's about time papa asked you to marry him!"

"To be honest I never even thought about it." Zaza admitted. "I was so busy with you I never even thought about marriage."

"Well with our little girl all grown up I thought it was a good time to focus on us and our relationship." Papa wiped the last tear from Zaza's face who smiled. "After all these years together it's time to tie the knot."

"I couldn't agree more." By now the crowd that had gathered had dispersed so it was just the three of us. Zaza was still collecting themselves but they were just so emotional. I didn't blame them. I would be too if I were in their shoes.

"How about we return home and you can cry some more on privacy." Papa suggested.

"Oh shut up." Zaza playfully smacked his arm and they laughed. I smiled and the three of us went back to the forest.


	3. Chapter 3

As we walked back, Zaza couldn't stop looking at the ring on their finger. Being right beside them I got an even better look at it looked even better up close. It wasn't the biggest ring in the world but not the smallest either. It was a modest size. Perfect for Zaza who wasn't that big into fancy things. Plain and simple was more their style but this ring was anything but plain or simple. It had a decent sized amethyst on a gold band that wasn't too thin or too thick. It fit Zaza perfectly. Papa picked out the right ring. He had known Zaza long enough to know what they liked and what would suit them so it didn't surprise me.

"Papa, when did you get that? And how long were you planning this?"

"I've been planning this for a while." He cracked his neck. Another tic.

"How long is a while?" Zaza asked. When his tic had passed they held his hand.

"A few months actually. With Feronia all grown up, I really wanted to move our relationship along since we had no time to think about it as she was growing up. I remember you saying years ago that your biggest dream in life, aside from starting a family was to get married. I never really put much thought into it and honestly I never saw myself getting married but that definitely changed when I met you."

"Papa, you are so sweet to Zaza you're going to give me a cavity!" He and Zaza laughed.

"Sorry but I can't help it." He looked at Zaza and had a big, goofy smile on his face. _Typical_. It happened whenever he looked at them. "I just love Zaza so much that all this love talk just spill right out of my mouth. I just lose control around them." Zaza blushed.

"Stop it." They chuckled.

"As I said, I can't help it. You cause my heart to skip a beat. Ever since the day I saw you, I knew you were the one for me. The way the moonlight lit up your face, it was absolutely breath taking." Papa stopped walking and lifted a hand up to Zaza's face. Zaza blushed and Papa gently caressed their cheek. I smiled as I watched them. Papa was head over heels for Zaza and he never let them forget just how much he loved them. I wondered if the right man for me was out there somewhere. If Papa and Zaza found love in each other I wondered if there was any hope for me. It seemed doubtful since I wasn't allowed to leave home unless accompanied by my parents. However, tonight was going to be different. Tonight I was going to be able to make my first kill completely on my own. My parents were not going to follow me inside the house or help me in any way. I was excited. I looked at my parents and saw that they were practically making out now. _Gross_.

"I don't know about you guys but I wanna head home and maybe roast marshmallows over the fire or something." I called out. They pulled away from the kiss and turned away from each other. Zaza put a hand on their mouth and Papa cleared his throat. "I bet I'll make it there first!"

"You're on!" I took off in a sprint just seconds before Papa who wasn't far behind. Zaza took a few seconds to process but when they did they too started running and in no time at all they were quickly catching up to me. Damn they were fast! It had been a while since we all raced each other and I kept forgetting just how good shape they were in. I tried running faster but my lungs began to burn. I was at my top speed and Zaza was almost by my side. Papa was currently in third place. I wanted to get home before Zaza just so I can say I won but they were too fast. They soon passed me and got a good few feet ahead.

"Hey!" I called out. I wanted to tell them to stop and wait up but I couldn't. My body needed whatever oxygen I could breathe in to keep me going. I was panting and pushed myself over the edge. I managed to get more speed with sheer willpower and caught up to Zaza. I couldn't look over at them as I was so concentrated but I did sense their aura. They were shocked. They tried going faster but it didn't do much good. We were approaching our home. I took in a huge gulp of air and sprinted. I reached the RV before Zaza but there was one problem. I was so eager to reach it before Zaza that I didn’t think to slow down the closer I got. I ran right into the side of the RV at full speed and the force was enough to send me right to the ground. I landed with a grunt and stayed there. I saw no point in getting up. I needed to rest and catch my breath.

"Baby, are you alright?" I heard Zaza say in a concerned voice. They rushed to my side and helped me into a sitting position then pulled me against their chest.

"I'm fine Zaza." I said. My voice was muffled as my face was pressed against their chest.

"Are you hurting anywhere?" They looked down and began to check me for injuries but stopped as Papa approached. He was laughing. I looked over at him and saw that he was holding his sides as he walked up to us. He sounded like a madman. "Tobias!"

" _Ha_! I'm sorry but... That was so funny!" He said in between the laughter. "You just SMACKED right into the RV! Oh my god! I'm dying!"

I looked up at Zaza who didn't look pleased at all with him. He saw their face and normally that was enough to get him to stop but not this time. He was just laughing too hard. "You do realize that it was your own daughter who got hurt, right?"

"She's not crying." He said which was followed by another tic. He turned to me and began calming down. "You hurt kiddo?"

"Nope. I'm fine."

"See? She's fine." Zaza remained unconvinced and glared at him. "What? It was funny..."

"I don't see how. Our daughter got hurt!"

"Zaza I'm fine." I said quietly but they completely ignored me. Instead they got up and lifted me up like I was still a baby. I hated when they did this. I was fifteen!

"You are just unbelievable Toby. _Unbelievable_!" Zaza took me inside and shut the door behind us. It amazed me how they could be smitten with each other one minute then fighting the next. It didn't happen very often but when it did it was a sudden change. It always happened when Papa did something much like what he just did and laughed or said something at an inappropriate time. While this did anger Zaza, they never stayed mad for long. In about an hour they would calm down and be glued to Papa once again. It was like they couldn't stay mad at Papa for very long. Just even more proof that soul mates were real.

Zaza put me on the bed and checked out my face for injures. They didn't find any but constantly asked if anything hurt. I kept telling them no and that I was fine but it was like my words went in one ear and out the other. I hated when they worried about me because they always went overboard but I knew it came from a good place. They loved me and wanted me to be alright. Even if they overreacted sometimes there was a good reason as to why they did. A while back Papa told me about something that happened when I was really young. Apparently I had gotten very sick. They weren’t sure what I had and no medications seemed to help. Papa assumed it was the flu as I had all the symptoms but they were all amplified. Zaza was so worried that I wouldn't make it and stayed up with me for days. They got next to no sleep and when I finally started to improve they passed right out. Papa said they slept for an entire day. Luckily I had never been that sick since then but it never stopped Zaza from worrying about me. They had a valid reason but it was still annoying. I wondered how they even agreed to let me go alone tonight in the first place. Papa must have made a really good argument.

After a few minutes of fussing Zaza finally stopped. I let out a sigh of relief. That was finally over. They went to the kitchen and began making tea then asked if I wanted any. "Yes please," I responded. They nodded and got put two cups. Just as they turned the burner on to boil the water the door opened up and Papa entered. Zaza didn't bother to look at him as they were still mad. He went up behind Zaza and wrapped his arms around their waist. They made signs of protest and tried to push him up but he didn't budge. In fact, he began kissing their neck.

"Tobias stop. I'm still mad at you."

"Liar." He smirked as he continued to cover Zaza's slender neck in light kisses. "If you were really mad at me then you'd be putting up a bigger fight."

"I hate you." I noticed that Zaza was trying to hide a smile. The anger in their aura had died down already and now it gave off a playful vibe.

"I love you too." Papa said against Zaza's lips before pressing a loving kiss on them. Zaza returned the kiss but kept it short. Papa tried to pull them back but they slipped from his arms and chuckled.

"That's enough for you." They said playfully.

"But I want more..."

"You do know I'm right here, right?" I said before Papa could go any further with Zaza. He looked over at me and his face went red.

"Oh. Right... Sorry about that baby." He cleared his throat and looked away. He was embarrassed. He was so focused on Zaza that he had completely forgotten about me. I giggled and when the tea was ready Zaza poured me a cup and handed it to me. I took it and when it cooled a bit I took a small sip. They then poured a cup for themselves. They offered some to Papa but tea really wasn't his thing so he declined.

We all sat at the very small table and talked about tonight. Zaza did express their concerns but Papa and I both reassured them that I was ready for this and I was. I was ready and I wanted to do this tonight. I wanted to show them that I was just as skilled and capable as they were. I had seen them both in action many times and I couldn't wait to do it myself without them hovering. I had seen this go down so many times. I knew what to do and what not to do. I had all of the skills. Tonight was going to be great.

After we finished the tea we gathered up the things I would need. Zaza packed a little kit for me with handkerchiefs and chloroform. I wasn't going to use it or at least try not to but as Zaza said, it never hurt to carry it. I guess they were right. I put them items in the little satchel I carried. It was small and lightweight which was perfect for me. I also packed lock picking tools and alcohol wipes. I wore gloves to hide my finger prints but in a fight it was possible they could be ripped off so it was good to have the wipes. Next came time for my weapon. Zaza took out their knife and was about to hand it to me before Papa stopped them.

"I have something better." He said as he handed me a small box. "Happy birthday baby girl."

"Thanks Papa." I took the box and hugged him before opening it. I gasped when I removed the lid. Inside were two very tiny weapons. They were called push daggers and the person using them would hold one with the blade usually in between their middle and ring finger then made a fist. It was a very sneaky weapon because at first glance it would look like you are just going to punch your victim but in reality you have a weapon in your hand. The size made it perfect to carry around as it wouldn't be easily noticed. "These are perfect!" I took them out of the box and tried them out. They fit nicely in my hands and looked so cool.

"You're welcome my little forest goddess." Papa kissed my cheek and I giggled.

"Where did you get those?" Zaza asked. They took one from me and examined it. It was in good condition. They both looked almost brand new.

"I picked them up at the store. James came across them not that long ago and showed them to me. He said they would make a great gift for Feronia." James was a man in his late forties who owned a pawn shop at the edge of town. He and my parents have been "friends" for many years now. They formed a sort of alliance where they could sell things to him and they split the price 50/50. He also offered them discounts too and supplied them with bullets for free. Being in the forest we needed guns to stay safe from any bears or wild animals that came across our home.

"Leave it to James to think weapons would make a good birthday gift for a fifteen year old girl." Zaza sighed. This was the life we lived but still they were hesitant to let me have my own weapons. Typical Zaza.

"Well it is considering the life we live. He knows just as well as you do what we do for a living and I might have told him that today Feronia gets to go hunting alone. He was excited for her and actually gave me these for free. He said it was her birthday gift so there was no need to pay."

"Well that was nice of him I guess..."

"Zaza?" I asked. Zaza looked up at me with a somewhat worried look. "Are you having second thoughts about letting me go tonight..?" I was nervous. I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer. Papa and I looked at them and waited anxiously for them to respond.

"I will be honest. I am not fond of the idea but I know I can't stop it from happening. We've been planning this for years now and you are a young woman now. You can handle yourself but you know me. I'll never stop worrying about you." They came over to me and gave me a big hug and a kiss on the top of my head. "I just don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you."

"Nothing will happen to me. I know how to fight. You don't need to worry about me anymore. I'm not a helpless child."

"I know but you're my daughter. I can't help it." They squeezed me even tighter. It was almost like they were afraid to let me go. "You are the most precious thing in the world to me and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happened to you."

"Babe, you worry too much." Papa chuckled which was followed by another tic.

"I know, I know." They pulled away from the hug but couldn't resist giving me yet another kiss. "Well enough of that. How about we do something else? It's a bit early for a movie so maybe we can go play in the snow?"

"That sounds like a great idea."

"Yes! Let’s have a snowball fight!”

“You’re on!” Papa and I rushed to the winter clothes we stored by the door and rushed to put them on. Zaza on the other hand remained calm as they made their way over to us. They watch as we stumbled, trying to get on our snow pants, coats and boots.

“There’s no need to rush you two.” They said as they put on their coat.

“I’m gonna take you both down!” I said with a big smirk on my face. I was so focused on getting outside that I didn’t hear what they said.

“Like that’s gonna happen!” Papa said. Zaza rolled their eyes and was the first one out of the house. We quickly followed them and I raced out to make snow balls. I went behind the thickest tree I could find and prepared my ammunition while Papa hid behind the tent.

“Hey! That’s cheating!” I called out to him when I noticed his hiding spot.

“We never established any rules!” He called back. “Any spot is fair game!” I huffed in response and continued to mass produce my amo. As I did, I failed to notice Zaza’s presence behind me. By now I had made at a minimum of twenty decent sized snowballs. I started making another when all of a sudden, someone pulled on hood of my coat and shoved a big handful of snow down my coat. I screamed in surprise, dropped the snow in my hands and frantically tried to get the snow out of my coat. When most of it was out I turned around to see Zaza laughing their ass off.

“Zaza!”

“You should have been watching your back!” They threw a snowball at my face then ran for cover. I let out a war cry and began throwing all of my snowballs at them as they ran. Unfortunately for me, they were super fast and missed each one but that didn’t stop me. I only stopped when I saw only four left.

“You win this round!” I called out to them. I then shifted my attention to Papa. I waited for him to expose himself and when he did, I threw a snowball as hard as I could. He had popped his head out from behind the tent to see my position so that it what I aimed for. Since he was mostly still the snowball hit its target. It hit him smack in the middle of the forehead and I guess the shock made him fall to the ground. He let out a scream when he got hit and scrambled for cover.

“I win against Papa!”

“No!” I heard him call out. And of course since it was Papa, he was very dramatic about it.

“Incoming!” Zaza called out. I looked around in a panic. At first I thought they were aiming for me but I quickly found out that they were aiming for Papa. A big snowball sailed through the air and hit him again, right on the forehead. He fell to the ground once again but this time he didn’t get up. He was as still as a block of ice. He actually looked dead. Zaza and I laughed. Papa was so silly.


	4. Chapter 4

We played around for a good three hours if not more but we couldn’t stay out forever. We were starting to freeze, especially Papa. He had gotten so much snow in his jacket from my multiple attacks. A few times even Zaza took aim at him. Of course he was dramatic and yelled, “betrayal! I can you my heart and this is what you do to me?!” We laughed at him and he dramatically fell to the ground. After he got up we all went inside to dry off and warm up. It had gotten colder as the sun was almost out of sight. I shivered as I removed my coat. Quite a bit of snow had gotten in my jacket which dampened my clothes. Papa noticed this and was quick to grab a towel and wrap it around me.

“Thanks Papa.”

“Anything for my baby girl.” He kissed my forehead then went to help Zaza out of their wet clothes. I went to the small bedroom and quickly changed into dry clothes. I felt so much better after changing and jumped on the bed. It was movie time now! All I had to do was wait for my parents. I loaded the DVD in the player and turned on the TV then sat in the center of the bed. Papa soon came in the room and he was holding a plastic bag which I could only assume was full of snacks and in his other hand was a big bottle of soda. He had gone into town a few days ago and picked up some snacks for our movie night. Of course they were packed with sugar as those were the treats we liked. Zaza... not so much... They stuck to what I liked to call, ‘rabbit food’. Basically just fruits and vegetables. I don’t know how or why they ate only that but they did. Apparently they stopped eating meats when they were just thirteen years old. I admired their dedication but I could never live without meat or sugary treats. When I was little Zaza did try to keep me on a diet free of sugar but with Papa in the house it was near impossible. He introduced me to chocolate on my seventh birthday and it was all downhill from there. Zaza wasn’t thrilled with this but what could they do about it? The only thing they could do was try to limit how much candy I ate.

Papa came over to the big bed and sat beside me with a bag full of snacks in one hand and a two liter soda bottle in the other. “So I got your favourite soda and a bunch of your favourite snacks.” He said as he scooted closer to me. I looked in the bag and took out my snacks.

“Thanks Papa!”

“You’re welcome. I even got Zaza’s favourite snack.” He looked over at Zaza and winked.

“So fruits?” I asked and was shocked when Papa shook his head.

“Nope.” He took out a bag on candy from the bag and tossed it at Zaza who barely caught it. They looked down at the bag and their eyes went wide when they saw what was written on it.

“No… You… You actually remembered my favourite candy?”

“Since when did you eat candy?”

“Oh it was a long time ago.” Papa replied as he leaned back against the wall. “The last time they ate candy was when they were pregnant with you.”

“Wow. I never knew that.”

“Yeah… There is a lot of things you don’t know about me.” They ripped open the bag as they got on the bed and began eating. “God, it’s been so long since I had these. Toby, how on earth did you remember?”

“I love you and I know what you like.” Papa kissed Zaza’s cheek and they giggled. They sat beside Papa and got comfortable. They were so close to him that they were practically in his lap. He of course didn’t mind at all and wrapped an arm around their waist. When we were all comfortable I pressed play and we enjoyed the movie. Papa and I were very into it but Zaza was not. They just sat there and watched as Papa and I enjoyed the film. I had waited so long to watch it and I was glad I was able to watch it with both of my parents, even if one of them wasn’t into this type of movie. It was just nice that we could all sit together and enjoy each other’s company.

When the movie ended Papa and I were all hyped up and couldn’t shut up about it. It was one of the best movies either of us had ever seen and it was super funny! We spoke to each other for perhaps a full ten minutes before turning to Zaza to ask how they found the movie. When we looked over at Zaza we saw that they were slouched over against the wall and sound asleep. Papa chuckled quietly. “I guess it was too boring for them.”

“Well at least we enjoyed it and we all got to sit together as a family.” I leaned over and kissed Zaza’s cheek and since they were a fairly slight sleeper, that’s all it took to wake them up. Their eyes fluttered open and a small smile spread across their face.

“Hey baby… I fell asleep, didn’t I?” They asked in a quiet voice.

“Yup.” I giggled and kissed them again. They smiled and pulled me on to their lap. “What did you think of the parts you did see?”

“It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t that interesting to me.”

“Well papa and I enjoyed it.”

“And I’m glad.” They gave me a few quick kisses on the forehead before letting me go. I scooted over to the end of the bed where we had set the snacks and rummaged through the bag to see what was left. Papa and I had been so focused on the film that we totally forgot to eat. “Don’t eat too much now. I don’t want you to spoil your appetite with crap.”

“Don’t worry. I’m only gonna have a bite.” I wasn’t. I was gonna pig out and unfortunately for me, Zaza read my mind. Or perhaps my aura. I broke off a piece of chocolate from the large chocolate bar and popped it in my mouth then they took it away from me. I made a sound of protest as I tried to take it back but they held it away from me.

“No. I don’t want you to ruin your appetite.”

“But Zaza! Papa, can I please have some more?”

“If Zaza says no, then it means no.” I whined and threw myself on the bed. Zaza rolled their eyes at my theatrics and got up.

“Toby, can you help me with dinner?”

“Sure thing babe.” Papa followed them and took out the ingredients from the cupboards while Zaza got the oven ready.

“So what are we having tonight?” I asked while still lying on the bed.

“We are having your favourite, Mac and Cheese.”

“Yes!” I loved a lot of meals but Mac and Cheese was my all time favourite. Maybe it was because Zaza coated it in cheese. It was so gooey and delicious! They added some spices to enhance the taste but I had no clue what they were called. I was no chef unlike my parents. After all this time they learned how to make some amazing dishes so they wouldn’t have to live off frozen food or grilled cheese sandwiches for the rest of their lives. “Do you guys need any help?”

“Oh no baby, you just relax.” Papa said. He had another tic which caused him to drop a block of cheese. “Oops. Thanks darling.” He said to Zaza who picked it up and gave it back to him.

“You sure?”

“We will be fine. It’s your birthday so you don’t need to do anything.” Zaza said.

“Since it’s my birthday, can I have a few more bites of the chocolate bar?” It was a long shot but it didn’t hurt to try. Unfortunately for me, Zaza hadn’t changed their mind in the last two minutes. They gave me a look and shook their head.

“Nice try kiddo.”

“I had to try.”

“Well after dinner you can have all the chocolate you want.”

“Toby!”

“What?”

“I don’t want them to get sick before their mission.”

“Okay well then you can at least finish the chocolate bar. The rest of the candy you can eat later.”

“Fine.” I wasn’t too happy with the decision but what could I do? I stayed on the bed as my parents cooked dinner. It wasn’t even done but it already smelt great! My mouth was watering as the smell filled up the small space. Today was the best day ever so far. I couldn’t wait until my mission. I was ready! When the food was done Papa began to set the table and I jumped off the bed and rushed over in record speed. I was starving! “Food!”

“Happy birthday baby.” Zaza said yet again and kissed my forehead. Papa kissed me too when Zaza moved away and I smiled.

“Thanks so much. It’s the best birthday ever!”

“We’re glad we could make this day so special for you.” Papa said and got some drinks. We all sat down at the small table and enjoyed the meal. The food was amazing because as always, Zaza just covered it in cheese which was part of the reason why it was so good. I savoured every last bite. “So are you excited for tonight?”

“You bet I am!”

“We won’t be too far away if you need us.” Zaza said in a reassuring voice. I sighed.

“I know but I won’t need your help. I got this.”

“I know but I’m still worried…”

“Yeah I know but I will prove to you that I am more than capable of doing this by myself.” I said confidently. Zaza nodded but remained unconvinced. “So am I going to pick a house or do you already have a target for me?”

“We picked one already.” I turned to Papa. “Since this is your first time we wanted to make sure you went up against a target who is more at your level. We don’t need you going after a bodybuilder or something like that.” I nodded and he had another tic.

“Yeah I get it. I’m still only a child.”

“Well you aren’t exactly a child in our eyes but you are still young.”

“Zaza, you still treat me like a kid.”

“Yeah but it’s because I love and care about you. You will always be my baby girl and when you are forty and I am fifty-eight I will still be treating you like a child.” And I believed it. Papa did too and nodded. He didn’t say anything but I knew he would be the same. He did give me more space than Zaza and treated me more as an equal but there were still times where I was his little baby girl.

"There's no escaping your fate." He said and took a bite of food. "You will forever be our baby, no matter how old you are." He smirked at me so I stuck out my tongue in response. He gasped dramatically while Zaza faked a heart attack or something.

"How could our child be so rude?" They gasped with a hand on their chest. I giggled and did it again. Papa gasped and fell to the floor. I thought that was a bit much but he loved to be over dramatic. "You killed papa!"

"Farewell cruel world!" Papa said from the floor. I lost it and burst out laughing and soon was accompanied by Zaza and papa. When we calmed down a bit, Zaza helped papa back up on his seat and we continued the rest of our meal in peace. When we finished up, papa put the dishes in the sink while Zaza slipped out of the RV but they were quickly back with a small bag in their hands.

"What's that?" I asked with curiosity.

"This is my birthday gift for you." They handed me the bag and I took out the three items inside. The first thing I pulled out were two simple black gloves. The next was what appeared to be a ski mask which had the same orange tint as papa's goggles. I loved them. The last was a face mask that would cover only the lower half a neck but the cool thing about it was that it had a design printed on it. That was the lower half of a skull but it had fangs like a vampire. One of my favorite monsters in literature.

"Oh my god I love it!" I exclaimed. I dropped the items on the bed and tackled Zaza in a big hug. They laughed and hugged back. "Thank you so much Zaza!"

"You're welcome baby." They rubbed my back as they hugged me.

"This is so cool! I get two new weapons and a badass mask with goggles that resemble papa's!"

"That mask kinda looks like yours." Papa said to Zaza as he picked up the mask and looked it over. I was confused.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh... Right..." He looked over at papa expecting them to be mad but they weren't. They just sighed in defeat and turned to me.

"I probably should have told you earlier."

"Told me what?"

"One second." I stood there very confused as they left the RV and to the tent. I looked back at papa who just shrugged it off. When Zaza returned they were holding their tablet and something that looked like it could be a mask. They searched for something on their tablet before handing it to me. It was a video on YouTube which I clicked on. The video was a new clip talking about a murder.

_“Breaking local news! Early this morning, resident Carl Daniels was found brutally murdered in his home.”_

A clip of a house came on the screen and there were many police cars on the driveway and street in front of it. All of the cars had their lights flashing and the house was taped off with police tape. The clip looked like it was taken at night time or very early in the morning as it was dark out. I watched as it showed a body bag being carried out of the house and loaded into a big van.

_“His wife found him slaughtered in bed next to her early this morning. According to her, a masked stranger broke in to their house and used what we assume to be a rag soaked in chloroform to sedate her before killing her husband.”_

The video then switched to a woman who was in tears. She looked so distraught. She was hysterical with grief. I watched as she took some deep breaths to calm herself so she could give her statement of what had happened.

“ _What happened last night?_ ” A reporter asked her as they held a microphone to her face.

“ _Last night... A person... No! A thing... broke into our house last night. I don’t know how and frankly, I don’t care... They managed to break in and it was clear they wanted my husband dead. I don’t know why! He hasn’t done anything to anyone!_ ” She choked out. “ _I don’t know if he was killed before or after I was knocked out... But when I woke up... I looked over at him... and... oh god!_ ” She burst into tears once again and the news reporter tried to get her to calm down.

“ _It’s alright._ ” The reporter said in a soothing tone. “ _Take all the time you need. You suffered quite a tragedy._ ” Soon the woman regained her composure and was ready to answer some questions the reporter had. “ _What did the person who attacked you look like? Can you describe them?_ ”

“ _They... no... it... was just like a shadow... They didn’t look human at all..._ ” She replied. “ _They had sharp, long eyes... And a wide grin... So wide that it was inhuman... The smile revealed big, white teeth... It looked like the devil himself..._ ”

“ _Oh... oh my..._ ” Was all the reporter could say in response. I watched as the reporter looked at the camera and it cut to two other reporters sitting at a desk.

“ _What you saw was our interview with the wife just an hour after she phoned for police. The sheriff didn’t give us much information on the murder except that it was the most gruesome thing any of the officers have seen in their whole careers. They said this has to be the most violent murder to ever happen in the town’s history!_ ” One reporter said.

“ _And the person responsible for this horrific crime is still on the loose!_ ” The second reporter said. I could see in her eyes how terrified she was even though she was doing her best to stay calm.

“ _Here is a sketch of what the intruder and killer looks like, based on the wife’s description._ ” The first reporter said and there taking up the whole screen was a police sketch. My eyes widened when I saw it. I was not expecting something so... So creepy looking. The eyes almost looked like Venom's along with the teeth. They were so sharp looking. This person or thing looked like a true monster.

“ _Because of this horrific murder the mayor has sent the town into a full lockdown._ ” The second reporter said with a serious expression on her face. “ _All citizens, you must lock all your doors and windows and to not go outside for any reason, especially at night. Arrangements will be made for food and drinks to be delivered to your door should you run out. Please check out the town website for more details and how to get food delivered to you. Police will be patrolling the streets every ten minutes and will arrest anyone who is found outside their homes in suspicion of them being or working with the killer. The town will not rest until the killer is caught and justice is served for poor Carl._ ”

I looked up at Zaza then papa. Zaza had a blank expression on their face while papa's eyes were wide. It was clear he hadn't seen this before. "Zaza, what is this?"

"That was a news report from my hometown from fifteen years ago. This was when I still lived there." They then held up whatever it was they were holding. I was right. It was a mask and while it resembled the police sketch, it looked nothing like it. "This is what the woman saw that night."

"This? Are you kidding me? This looks nothing like what she described. She made it sound much worse than it actually was!"

"Well I can't blame her. It must have been a terrifying experience for her." I gave Zaza back their tablet and took the mask to look at it.

"That got me the nickname of The Skeleton."

"That sounds so cool!"

"Yeah but you should hear their other nickname." Papa said. Zaza chuckled and I tilted my head in confusion. "For short, they are called Skelly. Isn't that cute?"

"That's adorable!"

"Oh stop it you two." Zaza took the mask back and used it to smack both of our butts. We all laughed and when we calmed down Zaza handed me my mask. "Well, are you ready?"

"You bet I am!"


	5. Chapter 5

We all left the RV and began making our way to town. This particular night was very cold which was made worse by the howling winds. The tree branches rattled against each other as the wind picked up. I shivered as a gust of wind hit me and I pulled my hoodie tightly around me. Papa noticed how cold I was and pulled me close as we walked. I nuzzled against his warm chest. It seemed that no matter the weather, Papa was always warm. No wonder Zaza loved to cuddle with him so much as they were always cold. That was just another reason why they said they were meant for each other.

As we walked I grew more and more anxious. All I could think about was the mission. I wasn’t afraid of taking a life as I had already done that... I was afraid of doing it alone. I wasn’t sure if I was actually ready for this. It was easy to talk about it and how I could do it but that was all talk... Now faced with reality I was unsure. Could I do this? Was I actually ready to go alone? Papa and Zaza were only coming with me to town but they were going to stay in the woods. From there I would go alone. I would have no backup or someone to fix my mistakes. I had to be very careful and ensure that I didn’t make any. My anxiety grew rapidly. I hoped I would be able to do this... Of course I could! I’ve killed before and watched my parents dozens of times! I was trained to do this! Tonight was nothing new. Just different. Just a small change.

_I could do this..._ I _can_ do this!

As I thought about the mission I could sense a shift in Zaza’s aura. I looked up in time to see them look at me and they looked concerned. Maybe even worried. Clearly they knew how stressed I was as they could read auras too. "You okay baby?" They asked.

" _Yeah_." I blushed slightly when my voice cracked. I quickly cleared my throat and stood up straight. "Yeah. I'm fine." I said with more confidence.

"You nervous?" Papa asked and I nodded.

"Just a bit but it's nothing I can't handle."

"That's my girl." He smiled and patted my head. I looked over at Zaza and while they tried to fake a smile but I could see right through them. They were worried. A lot could go wrong. The worst outcome was that I was killed. I doubted that would happen but one never knows... Clearly Zaza thought this was too soon, even if they didn't say it out loud. The aura they gave off was full of stress and anxiety and it was much stronger than mine. I couldn't blame them. Their only child going on her first solo mission. I wouldn’t be surprised that if I took, what they felt was ‘too long’ they would come in the house after me but luckily Papa was here to hold them back. If they came in and interrupted it could very well kill me. They must know that so maybe they wouldn’t follow me but who knows. If they are worried enough then maybe.

Zaza sighed and we continued walking. Most of the walk to the designated house was done in silence. It was a bit uncomfortable as I could feel the worry and stress radiating from Zaza and I was sure Papa could too. He can’t read auras like us but everyone can sense them. Zaza and I can just do it better than the general population. Papa tried to lighten up the mood by telling jokes and just being the big goofball that he is but nothing worked. Zaza remained in a bitter mood. Their anxiety greatly overpowered his happiness so he eventually gave up. I could tell Zaza was annoyed with him and I mentally praised him for his effort. He was just trying to cheer us up and make the rest of the walk as pleasant as possible. He always said that it was his job as a father to keep us safe and happy which he normally excelled at, just not tonight...

I wanted to avoid Zaza’s negative energy the best I could so I jogged ahead but I didn’t get far. Zaza jogged up to me and grabbed my arm which stopped me. “Slow down baby,” they said in a worried tone. “There is no need to rush.”

“I’m fine Zaza,” I replied and pulled my arm from their grasp. “There is no need to worry.”

“I’m not worried.” They protested.

“Oh don’t lie babe.” We both turned to Papa when he spoke. “We both know that you are worried sick. I get it.” _Tic_. “I’m worried too but we have been preparing her for this for years now. She is more than ready and I know that she will do great.”

“Thanks Papa.” I smiled but it disappeared when I saw the look on Zaza’s face. “Trust me Zaza, I am ready for this and nothing will go wrong.”

“See that babe? Nothing to worry about.” He leaned over and kissed Zaza’s cheek. They might not have been happy with this but they couldn’t hold back the smile that spread on their face.

“I’ll be just fine.” I reassured before kissing their other cheek.

"Oh alright... I'll still worry though..."

"As to be expected." I sighed and we resumed walking again.

"I can't help it." Zaza said. "You are my little girl. I carried you for nine months and watched you grow into the lovely young woman you are now."

"Zaza please..." I felt my face beginning to heat up. I wasn't a little kid anymore. "You're so embarrassing..."

"That's my job as your parent." Papa burst out laughing so I shot him a glare. He saw it but it did nothing to stop him from laughing. He held his sides as he continued cackling away.

"I hate you so much..."

"Oh you don't mean that."

"You sure about that?" That made Zaza stop in their tracks. They looked at me in disbelief.

"My own baby? _Hates_ me?" Papa continued laughing and we watched as Zaza fell to their knees. Why were they like this? I covered my face with my hands to avoid looking at the drama before me. "How could this be? After everything I've done for you!"

"Zaza! What is wrong with you?"

"Let them have their fun." Papa said when the laughter subsided. I huffed in response.

"Toby, how on earth did we end up with such a serious daughter?" Zaza asked Papa as he helped them up. He shrugged in response.

"Beats me. I thought she'd turn out to be more fun loving like us."

"You two realize I am right here, right? And I love to have fun but you two are both ridiculous."

"Buzz kill." Zaza said. Papa started chuckling and I went back to glaring.

"Can we just focus on the mission please?" I begged.

“If that is your wish.” Papa shrugged.

“It is...” He rolled his eyes and we kept walking. Normally I didn’t mind when my parents acted childish but tonight wasn’t the time. Tonight I had to focus. My hands began to shake so I shoved them into my pockets. I couldn’t tell if they were shaking because it was cold out or if I was nervous. My heart rate did pick up a bit and my legs felt like jelly but it could have been all of the walking we did today...  After what felt like forever we finally reached town. I let out a small sigh of relief and actually had to lean against a tree to catch my breath. My parents looked back at me. I could tell they were concerned. “I’m fine... Just a bit tired is all...”

“I think we should go home...” Zaza said in a worried tone. “You don’t have to do this tonight. We did a decent amount of walking already.”

“Zaza really, I’m fine...”

“I don’t know... You are tired and I don’t want you to slip up...”

“She won’t.” Papa said. “She just needs to catch her breath and she’ll be good to go. Right kiddo?”

“ _Right_. Just give me a second.” I looked at my parents as I leaned against the tree and saw the worry in Zaza’s face. Papa walked up behind them and wrapped his arms around their waist.

“Don’t worry babe.” He reassured them. “Everything will go as planned then after we will go home and all go to bed.”

“If it makes you feel better, tonight you guys can sleep in the bed with me.” I smiled sweetly but it did little to help Zaza. Their aura didn’t change at all.

“That’s a great idea.” Papa said after hearing nothing from Zaza. I nodded and when I felt ready I got my mask and goggles on then turned to my parents.

“How do I look?”

“Like a true killer.” Papa let go of Zaza and came over to me and kissed my forehead. When he backed away Zaza pulled me into the biggest hug I had ever gotten. I felt like they were going to squeeze the life out of me and if it wasn’t for Papa, I surely would have suffocated. “Alright babe, that’s enough love. I think I can see her turning blue.”

“Sorry...” They pulled away and I looked up at them. Their big green eyes gleamed in the moonlight and I could see the tears forming in the corner of their eyes. “I know you’ll do just fine but I’m finding it hard to let go... You are only fifteen and if anything goes wrong we won’t be there to protect you...”

“Then I’ll make sure nothing goes wrong.” I kissed their cheek then went to hug Papa.

“Good luck baby.”

“Thanks Papa. Take care of Zaza until I get back.”

“Not to worry. Zaza is in good hands.” I giggled, took my weapons out of my pocket and went over to the house he pointed out to me. I could feel their eyes on me as I walked away. Zaza’s aura was strong and radiating anxiety and fear... They feared for my life even though they didn’t have to. Absolutely nothing was going to go wrong. I know that you can’t predict the future or anything so nothing is certain but I was basically taught this stuff from birth. I knew what to do and I was ready.

I walked up to the house and began scouting the perimeter. I first checked to see if anyone in this house or neighbouring homes were up and about but didn’t see any lights on or movement from any windows. Those were good signs. It was doubtful that anyone would be up at this hour but you never know. When I was absolutely sure that the area was clear I then focused on how to enter the house. I circled the whole place and looked for a way to get in. There weren’t any open windows which was frustrating but not the end of the world. It just meant more work for me. I went over to the back door and pulled out my mini lock picking kit and got to work. This was one thing I was skilled at so the back door was open in no time. When I heard the click I smirked and put away my tools before quietly pushing it open.

I peeked inside and when I didn’t see anyone and was certain no one had woken up, I crept inside and closed the door behind me. I made my way upstairs and when I got to the second floor I crouched down and peeked in every room. I first had to look at how many people were in the house and take out the easiest targets first. It was actually pretty simple as my parents picked a house that was occupied by only two people. It was a young couple and they both looked to be maybe twenty five years old. Both of them didn’t look to be particularly strong. They were actually quite skinny. I think my parents gave me a mission that was a little too easy. Oh well. I couldn’t really be picky. It took a lot of convincing to even get Zaza to consider letting me go alone. I had a feeling they were the ones who picked out this house.

I quietly snuck into the room and went over to the man first. He was snoring so loud that even if I made a sound neither of them would even hear it. I was so glad my Papa didn’t snore. I grinned under my mask as I gripped on to the push daggers in my hands. How was I going to kill him? He was lying on his back so I could stab both sides of his neck. In no time at all he would bleed out and as he did, I could go for the woman but if I did that then I wouldn’t destroy his throat. He could scream which would alert his partner. To be able to pull that off I would have to be super quick. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to handle something like that. I wasn’t that skilled yet.

_New plan._

Perhaps I could simply use one dagger to stab his throat then do the same for the woman. That way he wouldn’t be able to make a sound and it reduced the risk of her waking up. Even if she did then it would be too late to do anything and she would be dead before she could process anything. I decided to go with that. I had to make up my mind quickly before one of them woke up. I took a deep breath and stabbed the man in the throat. He woke up immediately and made a choking sound. It was louder than I hoped for and it successfully woke up the woman. _Shit_. She tiredly turned over in bed and when she saw me, she screamed. I pulled the blade from his throat and lunged for her but she was fast. She jumped out of bed and ran for the door but I was also fast and caught her before she made it out of the room. I tackled her to the ground and she grunted as her head smashed on to the hardwood floor. She moaned in pain but didn’t let it stop her. She swung her fist back at me but missed as she wasn’t even looking at me and it was dark. I dodged the attack and slashed her cheek open with one of the daggers. She of course, screamed out again.

“ _Guten_ _Nacht_ _!_ ” I let out a low chuckle and plunged a dagger in her throat. She gasped and began to choke on the blood that filled up her throat. I pulled it out of her flesh then slit open her entire neck. Blood poured on to the ground. I had hit the jugular. She would be dead in seconds. I was satisfied and just as I was about to get up I heard the click of a gun.

“Don’t... move...” I turned my head slightly and saw the man I had just stabbed! He was on his feet and holding up a gun. My blade must not have gone very deep... It did some damage as he struggled to talk but it wasn’t enough to kill him. _Shit_.

 

_This was bad..._

_Maybe Zaza was right..._

_This wasn’t a good idea..._

_It was too soon for me..._

_I was going to die here..._

_This man was going to shoot me..._

 

The thoughts made my head spin. I watched as he walked over to me but I wasn’t about to let him win. There was no way I was going down without a fight.

I let him approach but before he could take my dagger I jumped on him. With one hand I stabbed his eye and the other I knocked the gun from his hand. It went off but the bullet completely missed me. It hit a nearby window and shattered the glass. **FUCK**. I had to finish him off and get out of here quickly. We had to be deep in the woods before the cops arrived. I dug the small blade deep in his eye and he let out the loudest scream I had ever heard. It actually hurt my ears. I stabbed his other eye with my second dagger then pulled them out and slashed at his neck. I made sure to hit the jugular and when I saw the blood gushing from the wound I knew it was time to go. He would be dead before help would arrive.

I put my daggers in my pocket then bolted for the back door. I basically flew down the stairs, skipping two with every step and made it to the main floor in record time. The moment my feet hit the ground I ran to the back door, threw it open and ran to the woods. I had to run past a house to get there and could see lights on in the windows. _Well shit_. The occupants were awake but it was to be expected. A fucking gun went off! The whole neighbourhood would wake up to such a loud sound.

I didn’t look back to see if anyone had seen me. It would only waste time. Time I couldn’t afford to lose. I had to get to the safety of the woods and my parents and I would have to run for it. In full sprint it only took me seconds to reach the trees but I didn’t stop when I got there. “Run for it!” I said as I passed my parents.

“What happened?!” Zaza called out after me.

“Tell ya later!” I replied. I was running at full sprint and could hear the crunching of snow beneath my feet. My parents weren’t far behind me and we all ran as fast as we could. There was no way we wanted to get caught by anyone. It would be a real pain in the ass if we were.

We ran deep into the woods and probably made it most of the way home before slowing down. We wanted to be as far as possible before we slowed down. Anything to minimize the risk of getting caught. Luckily we made it without anyone following us. Even if someone did, unless they were a pro sprinter or something there was no way they would have been able to keep up so we were safe. When we came to a stop we all had to pause and catch our breaths. I recovered quickly but my parents on the other hand... Well it had been a while before they had to run like that so they took longer to recover.

“Well... That was exciting...” Papa panted out. Zaza glared at him and if they weren’t panting I was sure they would have scolded him or something. However, even if they couldn’t speak at the moment, it didn’t mean Papa was off the hook. Zaza staggered over to him and gave his arm a good slap. “Hey! What was that for?”

“You are unbelievable...” Zaza panted out. I chuckled as Papa looked so confused. He had no clue what he had done and why Zaza had hit him. If it were possible then his aura would have turned into one giant question mark.

“Seriously, what did I do?”

“Feronia, what happened?” Zaza said completely ignoring Papa’s question.

“Well... One of the people might have had a gun...”

“Yeah no shit!” I was taken aback by the sudden outburst. I wasn’t expecting them to snap at me like that but looking back it was understandable.

“Babe I think you need to calm down...”

“Shut up!” I had never in my life see Zaza this mad before... It kinda scared me...

“Zaza... There’s no need for this... This was something none of us could have predicted...”

“Oh really? And what is that?”

“I thought I had killed him.” I explained. “I stabbed him in the throat but he had a strong will and managed to get up and get the gun which must have been close by but it doesn’t matter. What’s done is done and I made it out unharmed. That’s what’s important, right?”

“She’s right you know.”

“Piss off!” Papa jumped back when Zaza turned to him. They glared at him then me. “Let’s just go home. I’m exhausted.” Zaza stormed off and Papa and I silently followed them. We still had a long way ahead of us and it was going to be tense the whole way back... This was definitely not how I wanted to end tonight...


	6. Chapter 6

The walk back home was unpleasant... Zaza was in a foul mood the entire time which made Papa and I uneasy. Neither of us could have predicted such a reaction from them... I guess they had the right to be mad but I didn’t understand it. Yes, I did mess up and yeah there was a gun pointed at me but I didn’t get hurt. Shouldn’t they be thankful for that?

Papa soon got fed up with Zaza’s mood so he jogged up to them and gently grabbed their arm to stop them. They didn’t like this and tried to pull away but Papa kept a firm grip on them. “Tobias, stop!”

“Babe please, just _listen_ to me!”

“I don’t want to hear _anything_ you have to say! I _knew_ it was too soon! I should never have let her go on her own!”

“But Zaza I’m fine...” I said in a quiet voice. “I made it through without any injuries...”

I could tell that they were about to protest some more. They probably would have yelled at me if it weren't for Papa. He grabbed them by the shoulders, pulled them right up against his body and kissed them right on the lips. Zaza made a muffled sound in protest but quickly gave in and returned the kiss. They couldn't stay mad for long, especially when Papa kisses them. I rolled my eyes as Zaza wrapped their arms around Papa's neck as they continued to kiss.

"Did you two forget I'm standing right here?" I said after getting tired of watching them make out. They both pulled away from the kiss and even in the darkness, I could make out a dark blush spread across their faces. I giggled and they cleared their throats.

"Sorry about that..." Papa said while avoiding eye contact.

"I guess we got carried away..." Zaza said in embarrassment.

"You think?" I laughed when Zaza gave me a friendly shove and in response, I shoved them back. They seemed to be returning to their normal self. Any traces of anger were fading from their aura. It was amazing how Papa was able to change their mood with a kiss. Well... It was _more_ than a simple kiss but still. Same thing.

"You know, you never told me how you two met." I said after our laughter died down. When the words left my mouth I could feel their auras shift. It was such a sudden change that it almost made me fell uneasy. Why did that cause such a dramatic change in their auras? What could have happened in their past that warranted such a reaction?

"I think that's a story for another day." Zaza said, breaking the silence. The long pause just added to my suspicion. I narrowed my eyes.

"Why?" I stood in front of them and stopped in my tracks. "What could have possibly happened in your past that is worth keeping from me?"

"We aren't keeping anything from you." I noticed the hesitation in Zaza's voice.

"Oh, really? Just now when I mentioned you never told me of your past, both of your auras tensed."

" _Shit_...I forgot that you could sense that..." Papa said more to himself than me but I still heard it.

"So you _are_ keeping something from me! I knew it!"

"Feronia, honey. Now is not the time for this conversation." Zaza said as they held up their hands to try and get me to calm down. They sensed that my aura grew tense so they went to calm me before I exploded but it was a bit late for that.

"I'm not some kid anymore and your past can't be that bad! Papa, did you lie when you said you can't remember just as an excuse not to tell me? What are you guys keeping from me? What could be so bad that you don't want me to know? I hate being kept on the dark and I tried to hold back and not ask questions but you guys are acting weird! I just want to know!"

"Feronia please, just calm down." Zaza came up to me and put their hands on my shoulders but I shoved them off.

"Why? You guys tensed up and I could tell you put up a mental barrier. I just want to know! Why did you guys come out here? Were you even born in this state? Why did you actually go on the run? You are both so careful I find it hard to believe you were being hunted by the police! I just want to know the truth. Every time I bring this up you both just clam up and change the subject like your past is cursed or something! Do you know how annoying it is for me to ask all these questions just for you to flat out avoid it?"

"Feronia, why is our past so important to you?" Papa asked with slight concern was in his voice.

"I want to know the truth as to why we live out here! Why we live away from civilization! Why I can't live a normal life!" They exchanged looks. "What could have possibly happened that led you two to this life? Could you really not have given me a normal life? I want to know! I have the right to know! I tried to suck it up the best I can but I can't help the desire to live a normal life with normal people! To make friends with girls my age and maybe even find a boyfriend! But I can't do anything normal teenage girls can because you two thought this was the best life for us! Shouldn't I at least know what led to this? Don't you owe me that explanation at least? If you can’t give me a normal life then at least tell me why!" I was so overcome with all of the emotions I had been suppressing this whole time. For years now I was trying to hold them back but now they had been unleashed. They all hit me at once and tears poured down my face. It was like the flood gates opened up.

"Honey..." Papa reached out to touch me but I backed away.

"No!" I snapped. Both he and Zaza were shocked by this. "Don't you dare try to comfort me! Not until you tell me why!"

"It's not that simple..." I looked over at Zaza who also tried to approach me but I kept my distance. I noticed the pain in their eyes and their aura gave off the feeling of hurt, confusion and sadness. "Let's just go back home and I promise we will explain everything..."

"Babe..."

"Toby... It's time we told her..." I looked at Zaza then Papa.

" _Now_? Are you serious?"

"Toby, can't you see she is upset? She’s fifteen and she has been obviously thinking about this for some time now. It's unfair to keep this from her for any longer. _She's right_. She should know why we have kept her from living a normal life... It really was unfair of us to do this to her..."

"Babe I really don't think it's the best time for this..."

"Maybe it isn't but she should know why we live deep in the woods and why she isn't allowed to attend public school and make friends. You and I both were able to experience it but we prevented her from all of that. We essentially kept her on a cage her whole life."

"We haven't!"

"Toby, we only started bringing her into town for shopping five years ago!" By now they were yelling at each other. It caused my heart to race. This was the first time I had ever seen them even close to fighting... They never raised their voices, especially at each other. It was hard to believe that only minutes ago they were locked together in a passionate kiss... "We might as well have kept her on a cage and it's not fair to her! You don't know how horrible it makes me feel! To deprive her of so many opportunities! She should be out making friends, going to the mall, meeting boys! Everything I was able to do when I was her age and more!"

"Well she can't! This is our life and she needs to learn how to deal with it! It's what she was born into and nothing can change that!"

" **Toby**!"

"Be mad all you want but you know I'm telling the truth and telling her about our past won't make any difference! I say she's still too young to know and she won't be able to understand why we did the things we did! I say we drop this completely! We will not bring the topic up again, am I clear?" He looked at me and gave me a look saying that he was serious. He was angry. "Promise me you won't bring this up again!"

"Papa I just want to kn-"

" **PROMISE** **ME**!" He raised his voice so loud that it felt like I was hit by a shock wave. I froze in place and when I didn't give a response he repeated himself. "Promise me!" I flinched and Zaza came to my side and hugged me. " **Toby**! That's _enough_!"

"I'm just trying to protect my daughter _dammit_! Is that so wrong?!"

"Protect me from _what_?!"

" _Indeed_. Protect her from _what_?"

We all froze when we heard this mysterious voice. It sent chills down my spine. It was deep and raspy. Zaza tightened their grip on me and the aura they emitted was one of pure fear. That frightened me more than the yelling... Papa was giving off the same aura but it wasn’t as strong as Zaza's. Being pressed against Zaza's chest I could feel their heart pounding. Their hands were shaking and became sweaty. They were _terrified_.

We all looked in the direction the voice came from and when I saw who it belonged to I was just as terrified as Zaza was. This... This _person_... Was the stuff of nightmares... If it wasn't for the deep voice I wouldn't have been able to tell if it was a man or woman! They were dressed in black pants and sneakers with a white hoodie and had long black hair but what frightened me was their face... It was... _white_... White as the snow beneath our feet and looked like it had a leathery texture to it and their... Their _smile_... They had a smile carved into their face! It was horrifying but when combined with their eyes... The eyes were wide and never blinked...

I gripped on to Zaza as this walking nightmare looked directly at me. Papa quickly rushed to stand in front of us which seemed to anger this person who pulled out a switchblade knife. I tensed up even more as I heard the _click_ of the blade being released. Papa normally used two hatchets but since we went into town he couldn't bring them with him so all we had was Zaza's knife which they always carried on them. They fumbled for it and when they managed to get it out of their pocket they handed it to Papa.

"So this is where you've been for all these years.... _Skelly_... Or should I say, _Lou_..." The monstrous person said as they switched their focus to Zaza.

"H-How does he know you...?" I asked. My heart was pounding and I felt like I was going to pass out from fright. What was going on? Is he the reason Zaza refused to tell me of their past?  Zaza completely ignored my question and responded to the monster that stood only a few feet away.

"What are you doing here and how the **_fuck_** did you find us?!"

"There's no need for such language." He chuckled and began walking around us almost like he was a vulture circling its prey. He tried to walk around Papa to get to us but Papa wouldn't let him. This seemed to anger him so he mock charged Papa who flinched hit held his ground. The monster kept his distance when he saw that didn't scare Papa away. "I see you got yourself a protector... Too bad he doesn't stand a chance against me." He held up his knife and glared at Papa. Papa readied the knife in his hands and I began to shake from head to toe. I was scared for not only Papa's life but mine and Zaza's as well. What was this guy's intention? Was he going to kill all of us or just Papa?

"Jeff, _please_ don't hurt him!" Zaza screamed out before this monster could make a move. I looked up at them and saw tears streaming down their face. " _Please_! I'll do whatever you want just don't hurt him!"

"There's nothing you can do for me now." This person whose name happened to be Jeff, snarled. He jabbed the knife in Papa's direction whole remaining eye contact with Zaza. "You took everything from me when you left fifteen year ago! Do you think I could ever forgive you for that? Do you think anything you can do can make up for all the time lost? There's no time machine that can fix what you did! Not only did you keep my daughter from me all these years but you never even told me that you were pregnant with her! You never told me you were carrying my daughter! _My **child**_! You didn't say a word! You just fucking left without so much as a note!"

I was in shock. What was he talking about? _His_ _daughter_? Who was his daughter..? Could it be... Could it be me?! No... No! There was no way! The timing didn't match up! Zaza got pregnant after meeting Papa. Right..? I looked up at Zaza who never took their eyes off this man. "What... What is he talking about..?"

" _Fucking_ _typical_." Jeff spat. "You didn't tell her, did you? You kept her in the dark about her own father?! What the fuck is _wrong_ with you?!"

"You shut your mouth!" Papa snapped. "Feronia is _my_ daughter! _Not_ yours! I was there throughout the whole pregnancy _and_ the birth! I raised her for the past fifteen years! She is _my_ daughter!"

" _Oh really_?" Jeff scoffed. "You _really_ think she's _yours_? That's total bullshit and you know it! Look at her! She looks just like me from the hair and eye colour to the shape of her fucking face! You can't look at her and tell me she isn't mine!"

"She isn't yours!" Zaza screamed. "She _isn't_! She is _Toby's_ daughter!"

"The amount of bullshit you say is _astounding_! Fucking look at her! She's mine and you had the fucking _audacity_ to keep her from me! How fucking dare you keep my own flesh and blood a secret from me!"

"They had every right to do so!" I looked over at Papa with wide eyes. "From what I heard you tried to kill them on three separate occasions! Why the fuck would they tell you about their pregnancy?! They had a child to protect!"

"Do you think I would ever hurt my own child?!"

"Well you fucking hurt the person you claimed to love not once, not twice but three fucking times!"

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

"I saw the bruises you left! Their neck was completely covered! And don't get me started on the other bruises! They were completely covered from head to toe! Luckily they managed to protect their power abdomen or else Feronia might not be here! All because of you!"

My mind was spinning. I was trying to listen while absorbing all this new information but it was a lot to take in all at once. This guy beat the shit out of Zaza?! And is claiming to be _my_ **_father_**?! I would have asked one of my parents if what he was saying was true but judging from what Papa said it seemed to be the case...

 

_This guy..._

 

_He..._

 

_He was my father..._

 

_No..._

 

 **_No_ ** _!_

 

_He wasn't!_

 

_My father is **Tobias Erin Rogers**!_

 

_My name is **Feronia Rogers**!_

 

Whoever this Jeff person was, he was not my father! No matter what he said he was not my father! He was just someone who was a threat to us!

"I've had enough of this bullshit!" I looked over at Jeff who had a tight grip on his knife. He was glaring at Papa. He looked ready to kill... "I'm going to get rid of you both then take my daughter home where she belongs! I might not be able to get the past fifteen years back but I can take her home with me to bond with her for the rest of our lives but you both... you both will die here tonight for what you did!"

" _Just **fucking** try_!" Papa got ready for a fight. "I won't let you touch my baby girl!"

"You won't be able to do shit once I kill you!"

"Jeff, please don't do this!" Zaza's whole body was shaking and the tears kept flowing. "I didn't know I was pregnant when I left I swear! I left because I was afraid you were going to kill me! I was scared and didn't know what to do! You have to believe me! Had I'd known then maybe I would have stayed and tried to work something out! I never would have willingly separated you from your own child! I just didn't know! I was eighteen years old and scared! Please Jeff! _Please_ don't hurt us!"

"Your apology doesn't mean _shit_ to me!"

"Get out of here!" Papa called out to Zaza while never taking his eyes off Jeff. "I'll deal with him! You take Feronia somewhere safe!"

"I'm not going to leave you Toby!"

"You have to! I can hold off this jackass! I want you and Feronia to go somewhere safe and wait for me!"

"You honestly believe you stand a chance against me?" Jeff scoffed. He wasn’t at all threatened by Papa.

"You'll be amazed what a father can do when his family is threatened!" Papa growled. Pure and utter hatred poured from his mouth.

"That is _my_ family! **_Not_** yours!"

“Keep telling yourself that! Now you two get out of here!"

" _No_! I can't just leave you! Jeff will **_kill_** you! You need help!" Zaza let me go and shoved me away while taking a few steps towards them.

" **No**!" I grabbed on to Zaza's arm but they harshly pulled away.

"Feronia, you need to get out of here! Run away and whatever you do, _don't_ look back!"

" **No**! _Please_! I can't leave without you! **_Both_** of you!" I kept trying to grab their arm but each time they pulled away. “I won't go without you! Please Zaza!"

"Feronia just listen to us! Run away and don't stop! Don't look back! Just run!" Papa looked back at me as he spoke which was a huge mistake on his part... Jeff took that opportunity to charge at him with his knife at the ready.

" ** _NO_** _!_ " Zaza screamed. We watched in horror and he quickly made his way over to Papa.

" **PAPA**!" I screamed as Jeff got closer with his knife ready to plunge into Papa's chest.


	7. Chapter 7

“ **PAPA!** ” My scream echoed out throughout the forest. My scream was so loud that it felt like it was tearing my vocal cords apart. It hurt. It was painful but it didn’t matter to me. I was focused on Papa and that man who was coming at him with a knife.

“ **TOBIAS!** ” Zaza screamed. I have never heard them scream like that before. It was a haunting sound. It was a sound that was surely going to stay in my mind.

We watched in horror as Jeff got closer and closer to Papa who turned just before the sharp blade could imbed itself into his chest. If it weren’t for our warnings he wouldn’t have reacted in time. He quickly dodged the knife, grabbed Jeff’s arm and threw him to the ground. Jeff grunted as he landed but quickly picked himself up and got to his feet. He looked at Papa, then at Zaza, then finally at me. He looked like he was deciding who he should go after. He turned to Papa. He made up his mind to go after him. I watched, helpless and unable to do anything as he once again charged at Papa but this time he didn’t make it to his target. Zaza acted quickly, ran up behind Jeff and tackled him to the ground. They both landed with a thud and Zaza tried reaching for the knife but Jeff kept it out of their grasp.

“ **Get the fuck off me!** ” Jeff screamed at Zaza. I watched as Zaza kneed him in the lower back which got a scream out of him but didn’t do anything to slow him down. The monster recovered quickly and that move Zaza pulled only succeeded in pissing him off. He twisted his body to the side causing Zaza to fall to the ground and to keep them down Jeff punched them in the face with a closed fist. I heard the sickening sound of Zaza’s head smashing against the hard ground. They were dazed from that attack and I was almost certain they were slipping in and out of consciousness.

The moment this bastard punched Zaza, Papa ran up to him with a look of pure hatred. He held the knife up and was ready to stab Jeff but he was too quick for Papa. When Papa got close, he kicked him in the shin which worked in bringing him to the ground. Papa fell face first in the snow and the knife flew out of reach. He tried to reach out for it but Jeff stopped him. He grabbed the hood on Papa’s coat and with great strength, strength I had never seen before, threw Papa against a nearby tree. Papa grunted as he fell to the ground once more and while he was still down, Jeff grabbed a fistful of his hair and began smashing his head on the ground. Papa had unfortunately landed on top of frozen snow and it only took a few impacts for him to start bleeding...

I felt horrible as the only thing I could do was sit there and watch. I was in too much shock to move. I just cried as I watched this man try to kill my father. When I saw the blood I began to panic.

“ **PAPA!** ” I screamed out. This made Jeff stop what he was doing and he looked back at me. He let go of Papa and walked over to me.

By then I had cried so much that no more tears came out. My chest hurt. It hurt with every breath and I could hardly breathe. I looked up at the monster who had attacked my parents as he approached me. I had a pleading look on my face and hoped that would be enough to make him stop. By some miracle, it worked. I sat there, frozen in place as he got closer and closer to me. With each step he took, I grew more and more afraid. Was he going to kill me? If he really wanted to be in my life as my “father” then surely he would spare me but I wasn’t sure... I didn’t know him. With one wrong move or word he could snap and kill us all...  

 

_This man was a threat to us..._

 

I glanced over at the knife Papa had dropped and with one lunge I would have been able to reach it. Jeff noticed what I was looking at and kicked the knife away. Now I had no hopes of defending myself. There was no way I could take this guy down without a weapon. All I got do was pray he didn’t hurt me. He now stood before me and knelt down to my height. I was shaking and backed away when he reached a hand up to my face. “I won’t hurt you.” His words didn’t mean shit to me. I couldn’t trust him. He tried to reach out to me again but I backed away again.

“ ** _Don’t_** _fucking **touch** me!_” I said in the most intimidating voice I could muster. My throat was still sore and my voice cracked but it was still strong.

“I already told you I won’t hurt you.”

“As if I would believe you! _Stay **back** you **bastard**!_”

“That’s no way to speak to _your **father**_ , Feronia!”

“ **You are** **not** **my** **father!** _You_ are a **monster**!” I shrieked when the back of his hand made contact with my face. My cheek stung. It felt like it was going to leave a bruise. I slowly looked up at him and I was shaking all over. If that angered him enough to hit me then I was going to have to walk on eggshells now... Anything I say could be enough now to make him snap and kill me...

“I will **not** tolerate that talk towards me one bit! I’m going to have to teach you some manners when we get home!” He stood up then harshly grabbed my arm and tugged me up to my feet. I tried to resist and pull away but he kept a strong grip on my arm. I feared that if I kept trying I would end up with a broken arm so I gave it. There was so escaping now. He walked over to his knife which he picked up then tugged me away from the area. As he dragged me away I took one last look back at my parents. It was probably the last time I would be able to see them in person. I saw Zaza crawl over to Papa and made sure he was okay before looking up at us. They had a look of hatred on their face. They looked around for the knife and when they spotted it they got up, ran over to it, picked it up then ran towards us. Jeff heard the commotion and turned to see what was going on. He was shocked to see Zaza running towards us. Clearly he thought he had done more damage.

“Let my daughter go!” Zaza screamed out. They slashed the knife at Jeff who tried to move out of the way but he wasn’t fast enough to avoid Zaza’s attack. Zaza managed to cut his arm. It wasn’t a deep wound but it did break the skin and caused some slight bleeding. Jeff hissed in pain.

“ **You fucker!** ”

“You shouldn’t have attacked us if you didn’t want to get hurt!” Zaza sliced him again, this time across the chest. This pissed him off even more. With his uninjured hand he punched Zaza in the face, grabbed them by the upper arms and shoved them to the ground. The knife flew from their hand and landed far enough away that Jeff didn’t see the need to both with it. Zaza’s head smashed on the ground and dazed them once more. Jeff got on top of them and held his knife against their throat.

“Now isn’t this familiar?” He chuckled and set the knife beside Zaza’s head. He then wrapped his hands around their neck. “I’m going to finish what I started fifteen years ago! I really should have killed you then but better late than never as they say!” I heard Zaza gasp for breath. They reached up and tried to claw at his face but it did little good. He began laughing like this sick bastard he was as he choked Zaza.

My heart was racing as I saw the life drain from Zaza’s eyes but I wasn’t going to stand by and watch. I wasn’t going to stand by and watch this monster kill my Zaza. I ran up to him and threw myself on his back. I tried pulling him off Zaza but that didn’t seem to work so I began hitting his back as hard as I could. This pissed him off but it did make him let go of Zaza. I sighed in relief when he let go of Zaza and they gasped. They were still alive and breathing. That was good. I was relieved but now Jeff’s attention was on me... He got up, turned to face me then hit me with all of strength. He slapped me so hard I lost my balance and fell to the ground. I landed with such force that it knocked the air out of my lungs. I coughed and rolled over on my back to look up at Jeff. When I did, he put his foot on my chest to keep me down.

“Get...off...”

“You really are a pain in the ass child! I don’t think I could ever teach you to be a good daughter!” My eyes went wide. This could only mean one thing. He was going to kill me!

 

_I knew this would probably happen..._

_..._

_This guy was absolutely insane..._

 

So what if he was my biological father? I still refused to believe it but if he was it didn’t mean _shit_. He wasn’t around for the last fifteen years. I never even knew he existed until today. Biological father or not, that didn’t make him my Papa. My Papa was Toby. Not his freak.

I closed my eyes and waited for what was going to happen. I expected him to kill me but that didn’t happen. Just seconds after I closed my eyes, the weight of his foot was lifted from my chest and I heard a struggle. I opened my eyes and saw that Zaza had recovered and was now attempting to hold Jeff in a choke hold but they weren’t doing so well... They didn’t have their full strength yet but that didn’t stop them from trying. Zaza did the best they could but in their injured state they were no match for Jeff. He slammed them to the ground and got on top of them again. I looked around for the knife and when I located I rushed for it. Jeff looked back and when he saw me grab it he made a move to get up but Zaza dug their fingers into the open wound of his arm. He let out an ear piercing scream and turned his attention back to Zaza. “You’ll pay for that!”

I watched in horror as he raised the knife in his hand and got ready to bring it down on Zaza’s face. “ **No!** ” I was about to run over to them but Zaza’s voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Toby! Get her out of here!”

“Zaza!” I was about to take a step towards them but two strong hands grabbed my arms and held me back. “Let me go!”

“We need to get out of here!” I was shocked. With wide eyes I looked back at Papa who was holding me back.

“Are you crazy?!”

“Toby! Go now!” We looked back at Zaza who was putting up a good fight but we both knew they were growing tired. Jeff on the other hand seemed to have most of his full strength and wasn’t slowing down any time soon. It was only a matter of time before he overpowered Zaza but we could get to him before then.

 

We could stop him.

 

We could save Zaza.

 

There was still time if Papa would only let me go.

 

“ **Zaza!** ” I called out. I screamed when Jeff punched them in the throat. They gasped for air and looked up at Jeff.

“You are a pain in the ass! You deserve to die after everything you’ve done!” He raised his good hand in the air which held the knife. He had the look of pure hatred in his eyes as he looked down at Zaza. Zaza remained a bit shocked but mostly calm. It was almost like they were ready for what was going to happen next… “This is for everything you’ve done to me! This is for all the pain you caused!”

I could no longer process the world around me. I had tunnel vision. The only thing I could pay attention to was the sight before me. I couldn’t even hear my own screams. Papa held me back and tried to get a good enough grip on me to be able to pick me up but I was moving too much. I had to get to Zaza before it was too late but there was nothing either of us could do. I watched in horror as Jeff brought the knife down. Zaza turned their head away from us as he did. I heard the horrific sound of the blade burying itself in something solid…

 

And that solid thing was Zaza’s face…

 

My whole world came crumbling down as I saw that. Their body convulsed slightly before going completely still.

I was screaming but I couldn’t hear it. It was like the screams were a million miles away. I was in such shock that I went as a still as a statue. Papa took this opportunity to lift me up and sprint off into the woods. He ran in the direction of our home and I looked back at the scene behind us. I saw Zaza’s lifeless body lying on the ground. Jeff was still on top of them and the knife appeared to be sticking out of their face.

 

The sight of Zaza’s body lying there would forever be burned into my memory.

 

Jeff looked up at us and watched as we got further and further away. He didn’t try to follow us. Probably because we were too far away now that he didn’t think it was worth it. In the end his goal seemed to have been to kill Zaza and unfortunately…

 

_He succeeded_ …

 

I refused to believe it. Zaza couldn’t be dead. They couldn’t be! Even though I saw their body go still I refused to believe it. This all had to be a nightmare. It was a nightmare and any minute now I would wake up screaming and Zaza would be there to comfort me.

 

_Any minute now_...

 

_I would wake up any minute_...

 

Papa carried me all the way back to our home. He threw open the door and brought me inside the RV then locked the door behind us. He brought me over to the bedroom where he set me on the bed. He was panting heavily from the run back. Sure he was fit but never before had he carried me for a good mile at least in full sprint. Adrenaline was an amazing thing. The things it could allow humans to do in desperate situations… He caught his breath then rested a hand on my thigh. He shook my slightly to try and bring me back to the real world but I was lost somewhere in my thoughts. The images of what just happened kept flashing before my eyes. They were all I could see. All I could see was Zaza lying there… Lifeless… Papa tried a few more times to bring me back to reality and when I came back I was in panic mode. “Zaza! We have to go back! We have to!” I tried standing up but Papa kept me on the bed. Even I did get up I probably wouldn’t have lasted long. My legs felt like jelly even when sitting down. “We have to save Zaza!”

“Feronia! Calm down for me please!” He held me down and tried to snap me out of my panicked state. “Feronia, we aren’t going anywhere! _Alright_?”

“But Zaza! We have to help!”

“Honey, honey we can’t. There’s nothing we can do.” His voice got softer to try and calm me down but it didn’t have any effect.

“ _No!_ There’s still time! If we hurry!”

“Honey...there is nothing we can do!” Papa grabbed my face in his hands and forced me to look into his eyes. I did. I went still and tried to process what he was saying. “Darling… There’s nothing we can do now… Zaza… Zaza is no longer with us… We can’t do anything for them now…” I had no response to this. I couldn’t say anything. My brain processed what had happened back in the woods and the words Papa was saying. When it did it was the biggest shock of my life. I started screaming again. Tears once again fell from my eyes. I screamed at the top of my lungs and cried. Papa sat beside me on the bed and pulled me against his chest. He held on to me tightly and he too began to cry. He didn’t have the chance to do so while he ran as his focus was carrying me to safety but now that we were in our home and safe at the moment he was able to let it all out. He was able to process what had happened and cried too. We sat there together, crying. We held on to each other for dear life. We were afraid to let go. We feared that if we let go then the other would die too. We needed the reassurance that we were both still alive. Zaza may be gone but we were still there. We were there for each other.

We sat on that bed for hours. We probably cried for a good half hour for forty five minutes but when we finally calmed down, when our bodies were no longer able to cry we just sat there holding each other. Papa pulled me up on his lap and kept his arms around me. He refused to let go which was fine by me. I needed the comfort. I needed the reassurance that he was still there for me now that Zaza was gone. I needed to know that I wasn’t alone in the world.

Now my body was tired. I used up all of my energy and my adrenaline was wearing off. I struggled to keep my eyes open but when I looked up at Papa he didn’t seem to be that tired at all. His adrenaline must still be running through his veins. He probably was forcing himself to stay alert and ready for a fight in case that bastard tracked us down. It was now his job to protect me. I had no clue how we were going to move on from this or what we were going to do. I couldn’t think about that... I was so tired that I soon passed out in the safety of my father’s arms.


	8. Chapter 8

When I woke up I momentarily forgot the events of last night. At first I thought it was just a nightmare but when I came back to the real world I remembered that it wasn’t…  

 

I saw Zaza…

 

That horrible figure named Jeff on top of them…

 

Pinning them down…

 

Then…

 

Then the _knife_ …

 

My eyes began to water as I thought about last night… Tears poured down my face again but I tried to suppress them. I didn’t want to cry again. I felt like I had cried enough last night. I had to be strong. Zaza would have wanted that.

After I stopped the tears I got out of bed and made my way over to the small bathroom. I didn’t even bother shutting the door. The space was already so small. Leaving the door open made it feel bigger than it actually was. I went in and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked like a mess. My hair was sticking up at every possible angle and my eyes were red from all of the crying. Tear streaks covered my face and even went all the way down my neck. I turned on the water and splashed it on my face. Since it was winter, the water was ice cold but that didn’t bother me. It actually gave me a calming sensation in a way.

After cleaning my face I brushed my hair and teeth before leaving the bathroom. I got dressed in clean clothes then went to see Papa in the tent. Before unzipping it I was expecting to see Zaza lying beside him, all snuggled up to his chest but that thought was crushed when I opened the tent and saw only Papa.

 

Zaza was nowhere in sight.

 

The tent looked so much bigger now that only one person occupied it...

 

Looking at Papa I could tell that even in his sleep, he missed Zaza. He was hugging their pillow and it looked like he was still crying. He was curled up in the fetal position and twitching in his sleep and I could tell it wasn’t because of his tics. My heart broke for him. He had lost the love of his life… He always said Zaza was his soul mate and was the only one for him. Now he was missing his other half… It must have hurt him a lot more than it hurt me. You can’t find another love like that in your life…

I crawled over to Papa and gently rubbed his back. He stiffened up under my touch and opened his eyes. He must have been awake prior to me entering the tent. He sat up and quickly wiped his face dry. “Oh… Feronia… Morning…”

“Morning Papa…” Neither of us knew what to say after that. We didn’t want to talk about last night and if we talked about the past then we would start crying so we just sat there in silence.

Eventually my stomach began to crumble, signaling that I was hungry but I didn’t feel like eating. How could I after… After that..? Papa heard my stomach and got his coat on. “I guess we should go in the RV and get some food…”

“I’m not hungry…”

“Come on.” He said flatly. After getting his boots on he waited for me just outside the tent. I knew there was no escaping this so I followed him in the RV. I really didn’t want to eat and tried to tell him that multiple times but he ignored me each time. After what had to be the tenth time of trying to tell him I wasn’t hungry he slammed the spatula in his hand on the counter and took in a sharp inhale of breath. The sound of the spatula hitting the counter startled me and I jumped in my seat at the table. I slowly glanced over at him and saw him looking out the window right in front of me. “Look… I get that you don’t feel hungry but you need to try and eat something. I won’t allow you to starve yourself. Zaza wouldn’t have wanted you to.”

“Shut up.”

“Excuse me?” He snapped his head in my direction and his eyes narrowed. Normally this would have frightened me but I was too full of emotion to give a shit.

“I said, _shut up_.” I snapped back at him. “Don’t you _dare_ talk about Zaza and how they wouldn’t want me to do this or that! Don’t you _dare_ bring them into this!” I slammed my hand down on the table. It stung my palm but the pain actually felt good. I was feeling so numb that it felt good to feel something, even if it was pain.

“Don’t you dare tell me to shut up young lady! I am your father and will not tolerate this disrespect!”

“Maybe if you hadn’t have brought up Zaza then I wouldn’t have snapped!”

“Feronia Lenna Rogers!” I got up from my seat and without another word, left the RV. “Hey! Where are you going? Get back here!” I slammed the door behind me just as he finished speaking. I didn’t have the energy to deal with him. I just needed space and didn’t want to be forced to eat. If he had his way I wouldn’t be able to go anywhere unless I ate at least half of the meal he was cooking.

 

_No thank you._

 

I wasn’t sure if I would have been able to keep food down if I did eat. It was just too soon. I needed more time to process what happened last night…

I walked over to the river and kicked some broken chunks of ice onto it. The pieces skidded across the frozen river and broke into pieces when they smashed into the frozen snow on the other side. I walked up and down the bank and continued kicking pieces of ice and frozen snow. If I couldn’t find any then I would kick at the snow beneath my feet until a piece broke off. I kept this up for well over thirty minutes and not once did Papa come out to drag me back inside. Maybe he realized I needed some space but it was more likely that he was so frustrated with me that he just gave up. Maybe he was forcing some food down so he wouldn’t starve. He was probably in worse shape than I was but he knew he had to keep his strength up. He was my sole protector now. It was his job as my father to keep me safe and without Zaza it was going to be a challenge… Not only did he have to worry about me and put my best interests first but he also had to deal with the loss of Zaza like me… It couldn’t have been easy for him… If I was going through hell then I could only imagine how he felt…

I couldn’t even begin to imagine what it must be like to lose the love of your life…

 

 _Your_ soul mate.

 

 _Your_ best friend.

 

 _Your_ main reason to live.

 

I looked back at the RV and looked in the only window that didn’t have the blinds drawn. It looked right in at the kitchen table and I could see Papa sitting there and presumably looking at his food. He wasn’t eating and I couldn’t tell if he had finished his food or not. He was just frozen in place. I had never see him look so lost before. His eyes were just empty pools of brown. All of the life and joy that used to be in them was gone. They no longer gave off that mischievous twinkle. My heart hurt as I looked at him. This wasn’t my Papa. This was a broken man. A man who was lost without his other half. A man who somehow had to provide a life for his child. How was he going to do that? Would he be able to? I thought so. I knew he could. I believed in him. Even after this tragedy he was still a man who put his family first. He knew it was up to him to look after me. I was still young and so naïve to the world around me. I had no experience with anything and I relied on him. He knew what was best and how to navigate the outside world. The world that lay beyond our forest. I needed him to guide me and he knew it. He just needed time to process and heal like I did.

I watched Papa for a long time but he didn’t move. He didn’t even attempt to eat. Maybe he was thinking about Zaza. Maybe even going back to what happened last night. Whatever was in his mind, it caused him to start crying again. It started with a few tears but he soon erupted. He covered his face with his hands and began howling. His cries were so loud I could hear him clearly from my position about ten feet away.

One of my hands grabbed on to the locket around my neck and squeezed the golden heart. My chest hurt as I watched Papa. I hated seeing him like this. I wanted so badly to go in and comfort him but I was hesitant to do so. I had yelled at him only forty minutes ago. I thought it was too soon to go back but still… watching him like that… I couldn’t just stand out here and do nothing while he cried his heart out…

 

_Alone…_

 

I took a deep breath in and when I let go of my locket I walked up to the door. I grabbed the handle and slowly pulled it open then cautiously made my way inside. Once inside I closed the door behind me and looked over at Papa. He didn’t look up at me or even acknowledge my presence. I doubted he had even heard me as I was fairly quiet and he was so busy crying… I walked over to him and threw my arms around him. He tensed up at the sudden action but didn’t push me away like I thought he might have. Instead, he wrapped his arms around me and held me close as he continued to cry. I tried holding back the tears that began to form but it was a losing battle. His aura overwhelmed me and I too was consumed with sadness again. Tears poured down my face. We just sat there crying in each other’s arms. We didn’t know what else to do. We felt like we couldn’t do anything but cry. We had so many feelings running through our minds but the most prominent one was of course, sadness. We had to cry to let it out. It was all apart of the grieving process.

It felt like hours passed when we eventually stopped crying. Had our bodies allowed it, I was sure we would have kept going but we were tired and thirsty. I was positive I cried out the majority of my body’s fluids. My throat was as dry as a desert and my voice felt weak. I had never cried like this before in my entire life. My body was not used to this. It made me feel like shit but did help mentally. It was as if the tears were carrying out all of my sadness. With every tear I felt a bit more like myself. With every drop, a piece of sadness left my body.

I pulled away from the hug and wiped the tears from my face. Papa did the same and we looked at each other. Papa didn’t look the same. He was a mess and his eyes looked dull and drained of life. They showed no emotion. He tried to fake a smile for my sake, to let me know that he was alright but I knew he wasn’t. His aura told me the truth. He felt empty inside. His aura was completely black. It was like a shadow. A shadow of sadness, loneliness, despair, anger, and hatred. All of those and more were radiating from him. His slight smile did nothing to hide that from me.

“We’ll get through this…” I tried to reassure him. He gave a slight nod and gently caressed my cheek with a shaky hand. I grabbed it and gave it a squeeze. He squeezed back then brought my hand up to his lips and planted a kiss on my knuckles.

“Yeah… We will…” He took in a deep breath before looking up at me. “I’m sorry you had to see me like this… As your father, I’m the one who should be reassuring you. I’m supposed to be the one to comfort you and tell you that everything is alright and that we will get through this.”

“It’s alright Papa. You can’t always be strong. Even you need to let out your emotions.”

“I guess you’re right…”

“I am.” He chuckled which brought a genuine smile to my face. A sign of progress. “And I’m sorry for yelling at you earlier.”

“It’s alright. I get that you are upset and I’m sorry for trying to force your hand and… and bringing up Zaza…I shouldn't have said anything... I just... I just want to make sure you're taken care of and healthy... I don't want you to starve yourself... "

"It's alright Papa. I forgive you." I kissed his cheek which brought a smile to his face. "I probably should have handled myself better... I'm sorry for snapping at you like that..."

"Apology accepted." He pulled me on his lap and gave me one of his big bear hugs. I loved it and nuzzled my face against his chest. He rubbed my back and for a long time we just sat there. There were no tears this time. Just the two of us holding each other. We were adjusting to life without Zaza...

 

Without them everything was quieter...

 

They really brought life into the home... They were the reason Papa and I laughed. Papa might have been the goof ball of the family but it was Zaza who was the cause of it. Papa was only a silly in order to make them smile and to hear their laugh. He always said he loved their smile. That is was cute and he loved the twinkle in their eyes. He could talk for hours about Zaza and everything he loved about them and never run out of things to say. He could fill novels about them and still have more to write.

"Hey Papa...?" I asked hesitantly. I wasn't sure how he' was going to react to this next question but I really wanted to know.

"What's up baby girl?"

"I know this isn't probably isn't the best time for this but... How did you really meet Zaza..? You guys said you met at night under the moonlight by the river outside close to town but is that true?"

"Part of it is true..."

"What does that mean..?"

"We did meet at night but that's just about it." I tilted my head to the side in confusion and he continued. "We met in Denver, Colorado. We both broke into a house. They went first, I saw them and followed them in. At the time that was my killing ground so I was curious about this new person and maybe I could show them who was in charge."

"That doesn't sound like you at all."

"Well this was sixteen years ago. I have changed a lot since then." It appeared as if he was thinking about Zaza as he had a fond smile on his face and was looking off into space. "Lou really changed me... I was very grumpy back then to say the least. I wasn't fond of anyone and didn't make friends. I just killed and that was that. At the beginning we didn't even like each other and said few words but once we settled here we started talking more." He paused as a tic hit him. It passed and after a few seconds and I took the opportunity to ask another question. Well questions.

"Why did you travel here when you two couldn't stand each other? What led to that anyway?"

He chuckled. "Well we were both on the run for different reasons so I suggested we got together. There is strength in numbers after all."

"And they just let you? A stranger tag along with them?"

"Yeah." I was completely baffled. That was not something Zaza would ever do. "I was actually surprised when they agreed but they probably realized it would be smart to have a companion with them. So off we went and I suggested that we come here and before you ask why here specifically, I always wanted to come to Oregon. I heard a few things about this state and wanted to see it for myself."

"And Zaza agreed to it? What about their plans? Where did they want to go?"

"They had no plan but to run. They didn't know where to go or what to do so they went along with my suggestion. They just wanted to get as far away from their home as possible."

"But why? Does it have something to do with that... that Jeff person..?"

"I think he was mostly the reason but they did say something along the lines of, it's best for everyone if I'm gone. Who they were talking about, I don't know. It could have been their parents and or siblings if they have any, could have included friends, I really don't know. They didn't say anymore than that."

"They didn't talk about their past with you?"

"No." He shook his head and at the same time had yet another tic. He twitched as it passed then looked back at me and cleared his throat. "They didn't trust me much in the beginning so they kept quiet but as our relationship progressed I tried asking about their past but they just said the future was what's important. They did tell me what living in a small town was like but never went into details about school, friends or family. I got the impression that they were lonely and didn't talk to many people. It made me wonder if they were an only child or not."

"Maybe there is news about their family on the internet. Can we go into town tomorrow so I can check?"

"Why do you think there will be news about Zaza on the web?"

"Well they ran away but did their parents know they ran off or do they think they were kidnapped? Either way there is bound to be some news about them if I really look. There was news about that attack they showed us."

"Yeah but no one knew it was them who attacked that man and his wife."

"Well maybe there will be news about their disappearance, Papa please!" I begged and even gave him my sad eyes. After what happened last night he would not want us going into town or even deep in the woods in case that Jeff was still out there but I really had to know. I wanted to know who my Zaza really was. Who they were before coming here. I was incredibly curious.

He thought over my request for a while then huffed in defeat. I got excited and waited for him to speak. "Fine. We can go into town but we'll do it tomorrow. I didn't get much sleep last night so I'm quite tired..."

"I understand. I am too." I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "Thanks Papa. I wasn't sure if you would agree because... Well..."

"Yeah... He could still be out there but if his goal was to murder Zaza then I doubt he stayed around... We can only hope..." I nodded and adjusted myself so I could rest my head on his shoulder. He rubbed my back for a while then eventually picked me up and brought me over to the bed. After making sure I was settled he was about to leave but I grabbed his arm and begged him to stay. With the home being so quiet now it felt so lonely sleeping in this big bed all by myself. He nodded and got in beside me and when he was comfortable I snuggled up next to him and fell asleep shortly after. This time I didn't have any nightmares.

 


	9. Chapter 9

When I woke up the next morning I felt slightly better than yesterday. I wasn’t my normal self but at least I didn’t feel like crying my eyes out again. Maybe it was because I had already cried so much the other day that my body was physically incapable of producing any more tears. Maybe now the numbness was setting in. I didn’t know. What I did know was I felt like shit. The moment I sat up in bed I immediately felt nauseous so I jumped to my feet and dashed to the bathroom where I threw up in the toilet. It wasn’t much but just a little was enough to disturb me.

I coughed it all up in the toilet and when I was finally done I flushed and went to rinse out my mouth. I looked up at the mirror in front of me and I almost didn’t recognize myself. My hair was a mess, I had tear stains all over my face, I looked pale and had bags under my eyes. No amount of makeup would be able to fix me… I sighed and after leaving the bathroom I noticed that Papa wasn’t in bed. In fact, he was nowhere to be seen. He wasn’t anywhere in the RV which was unusual for him but I wasn’t surprised. After all that happened… He needed his space. Maybe he went to sleep in the tent after I fell asleep. For a second I thought about going off to find him but I decided against it. When he was ready he would come back inside. I didn’t want to walk in on him crying or something as he was a very private person and wanted me to see him as strong. I thought it was stupid but that’s how boys are raised in our stupid society.

Since I felt slightly better now I decided to try and eat something. I got sick at the thought of food but wanted to at least eat a slice of bread. It wouldn’t be much but it would be something. Better to start now because if I didn’t I would keep fasting until I starved to death. With a sigh I made my way over to the kitchen and opened the cupboards. I grabbed the bread and put it on the counter and took out a slice. I just nibbled on it and found it really didn’t taste good. It wasn’t going bad or anything but I was so depressed that nothing would taste edible. I ignored the horrible taste that my brain perceived and forced myself to finish the slice. When I was done I put the bread away and turned to go back to my room when something outside caught my eye.

 

Well, _lack_ of something…

 

I rushed to the nearby window and looked outside. The tent was gone! _Completely_ gone! It was there just last night! I swung open the door and was hit with a gust of cold air. I shivered but managed to peek my head out and looked around. I could see footprints all over the fresh snow and the marks the tent left as it was taken down. I was confused and when I looked to my left, in the direction of the truck I saw Papa closing the back. When he turned around he saw me and quickly made his way over and ushered me inside. “Babe, it's freezing! Get inside before you get sick.”

“Papa, what happened to the tent?”

“I put it in the truck.”

“Why?” He didn’t respond. He entered the RV after me and shut the door behind him.

“Are you cold? Hungry? Can I get you anything? You look awful, come sit down.” He made me sit at the table then rushed to the fridge. “What can I get you?”

I knew there was no point in telling him I wasn’t hungry. He was going to make me eat something. There was no way out if it. I sighed. “Can I have a grilled cheese sandwich please?”

“Anything for my darling girl.” He gave me a smile then went about gathering the ingredients and making the food. He seemed to be in a better mood but I could tell that he was just putting on an act to hide his true feelings. He was depressed and missed Zaza. His heart was shattered in pieces but of course, he couldn’t let me see that side of him anymore. He was putting on his brave face and trying his best to make life go back to normal but we both knew that was impossible…

 

There would be no _‘normal’_ life anymore…

 

Not without Zaza…

 

I watched as he made lunch and the whole time neither of us said anything. There was tension in the air and I knew we could both sense it. His aura was tense. He was trying his best to stay happy for my sake but by doing so he was suppressing emotions that wanted to be let out. They had to in order for him to heal but he had them locked away, deep inside his heart. I hated that he felt the need to do this for me. To make me feel like everything would be alright. I wanted him to be able to express his emotions around me so I could comfort him but that’s not supposed to be my job as his daughter… He’s the one who’s supposed to comfort me. It doesn’t go the other way around in his mind…

When the food was done he brought over two plates. One for me and one for him which he placed on the table then took his seat right across from me. “Enjoy.” He smiled at me but it was a pained one. He was forcing a smile on his face and that look didn’t suit him at all. I tried to smile back then began eating. Throughout the whole meal, we didn’t say anything. It was awkward and I avoided eye contact at all times but when we started to finish up I spoke up.

“So why did you put away the tent?”

He dropped the crust on the plate and took in a big breath of air that he slowly let out. He wiped his hands on a napkin and looked out of the window that was beside us. I knew he wanted to avoid the question but he knew that I would just keep asking. He thought about his response carefully then turned his head back to me. “I think it’s time for a fresh start…” He said after many silent seconds. That made me pause. I didn’t know how to respond to that. What did he mean?

“Fresh start?” I questioned. He nodded and looked back out the window.

“We’ve been here for almost sixteen years… You, your _whole_ life… You have barely seen the outside world and haven’t had the opportunity to make friends... I know Zaza would want you to have a life outside of these woods…” He turned to face me and took my hands in his. “I think it is best that we leave this place. It’s doubtful, but I’m afraid that Jeff might find us. I don’t know his motives but I don’t want to risk anything. I can’t afford to lose you too…” He lifted one hand up to my face and gently caressed my cheek. I resisted the urge to cry and leaned into the touch.

“You _won’t_ lose me, Papa.”

“I wish that were true but anything can happen which is why I have decided to move us. I think it’s best we get a fresh start. We can make _new_ memories. Getting out of here will help us move on…” His aura went from tense to sadness. He was thinking about Zaza… “Zaza would want us to be happy... I want to give you the life that you deserve. What do you think about that?”

“Papa… I would love to live a normal life with girls my age but…” I paused. I wasn’t sure if I meant was I was about to say but I said it anyway. “I don’t want to leave here… I know Jeff could appear at any moment but I don’t think he will. If he wanted us dead then he would have followed our footprints and attacked by now but he hasn’t. I haven’t sensed his presence at all.”

“It's only a matter of time.”

“Papa, if he wanted us dead then he would have shown up by now but he hasn’t,” I explained. “His rage seemed to be focused on Zaza and Zaza alone. He was hellbent on getting revenge as they wronged him in his mind. He got his revenge by… by killing Zaza…”

“But he claims you are his daughter. He’s going to come back for you… I know it…”

“Then why hasn’t he come back? If he wanted to raise me as his daughter then he would have followed us that night but he didn’t. He watched us leave. I doubt he’ll return so I’m not leaving.”

“Feronia, what is with you? Only a few days ago you yelled at us because you felt trapped.”

“Yeah but that was back then… A lot of things have changed… I don’t want to leave here… It’s home…” I looked up at him with the biggest, saddest eyes I could manage. “Here is where we built so many memories with Zaza… I… I don’t want to leave it all behind…”

“Look… I know how you feel. I was thinking about this all night…” He squeezed my hand and looked into my eyes. “I don’t want to leave either but I really think we need a new change of scenery… We need to move on from this. It won’t be easy but at least we have each other. We can go into town today as I need to pick up some things then tomorrow we’ll head out.”

“Where are we going..?”

“Is there anything you want at the store? Snacks? Food? Drinks?” He didn’t have a plan. That was the only reason why he would ignore the question.

“I guess a few snacks will help for the trip…” I sighed. If Papa really hadn’t picked a spot for us to move to then there would be no point in trying to ask again. I would find out soon enough where our new home would be so I decided to wait it out.

“Great. Make a list of what you want and we’ll head out.” He got up and went to wash the dishes. I watched him and when he was almost done I got up and went to my room. I got ready and did my best to make myself look presentable. There was no way I could go out looking like… like death itself…

I put on my favorite outfit then went to the bathroom to apply some light makeup. I put on some foundation and blended it on my cheeks then over that put on a bit of blush. I wanted to look more lively and not like I was still mourning the death of Zaza… After that, I added some lip gloss and eyeliner and I was ready to go. I debated on adding eyeshadow but I felt like that would be a bit much. It was fun to get all fancied up with Zaza for fun but now… Now I had no reason to do that… I thoroughly brushed my hair then styled it with some paste then went to find Papa.

On my way out of the bathroom, I paused. Something had caught my eye. It was Zaza’s tablet. It was right where they left it. On the dresser. I went over to it and picked it up. I almost forgot about this. I was going to need it if I was going to search the internet for any news about Zaza. I hoped I would be able to find something. I wanted to know about where they came from and who they were. Did they have any siblings? Would I find a picture of their parents? Only one way to find out.

I picked up the tablet and turned it on to check the battery. It was only 86%. That would be more than enough. I was about to lock it again when my eyes fell on the video app. Zaza had shown me a video of the news clip from their hometown. We didn’t get any wifi out here so they had to have downloaded it on a previous trip into town. Was there any more? I opened the app and was shocked to find that multiple videos had been downloaded. I scrolled through them and they all appeared to be news clips and were all only a few minutes long. I clicked on the first one in the list and it was the news report they had shown me before we left on my mission. I closed it after a few seconds then clicked on the next. This clip seemed to be a follow up to the last one.

 

“ _The town lockdown will be going on for the next week, if not longer. The sheriff says that it is too risky to have people out until this killer is caught. So far he has killed three people and kidnapped one. It is too soon to say their fate and for now, we will assume the 18-year-old is still alive. All focus will be put on finding them and hopefully, the police can track down this monster and free the teen._ ”

 

I couldn’t believe that Zaza managed to shut down their whole town. Sure the murder of that dude was probably brutal but for it to shut down the town? How small was it? A few thousand people? A few hundred? Hopefully, I could find out something about them when we went into town. Out of curiosity, I clicked on the next video.

 

“ _It has been three months and there is still no updates in the case of missing teen, Lou Schumacher. Her parents have been worried sick but have faith that their daughter will be found alive._ ”

 

My eyebrows narrowed in anger. They were using the wrong pronouns! Zaza doesn’t identify as female or male! Well… They _didn’t_ … Well, this was back in 2003 so I guess I could let it slid… Back then people weren’t that kind to those who were different…

 

“ _Reporters have tried to interview the parents but as expected, they are too devastated and refused all interviews. What we do know thanks to an inside source is they have been praying every day for their daughter’s safe return. Lou’s mother is confident that her daughter is still alive somewhere. The source said quoted her saying, “it is mother’s intuition”. We also know that the family, who originally planned to move after the lockdown was lifted will be staying put in hopes their daughter might come home or try to contact them._ ”

 

There was more but I didn’t want to finish it. I wanted to go to a café or restaurant and look up articles. By reading them I wouldn’t have to listen to these dumb reporters using the wrong pronouns for Zaza. Stupid reporters. I turned off the tablet then went to get my coat and boots from the closet. I put them on then went outside to find Papa. He was outside checking out the truck and making a list of things we would need. “Hey Papa…”

“Oh, hey babe. You ready?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you sure you’re going to be warm enough?” He asked and nodded to my simple coat. I wasn’t wearing a scarf, hat or gloves which he always pestered me to wear even when it wasn’t that cold out. “As you know, the walk to town is fairly long.” He paused as he was hit by a tic then cleared his throat. I took the opportunity to cut in.

“I’ll be fine Papa. You worry too much. Besides, it’s not even that cold.”

“I worry because I’m your father and I care about you and it’s not that cold because we are sheltered from the wind here. I’m just worried that when we get into town the wind will freeze your face. Can you at least go get a scarf?”

“ _Fine_.” I huffed then went inside. I grabbed a scarf from the closet, wrapped it around my neck then went back out to see Papa. “Happy now?”

“No, but it will have to do.” I rolled my eyes and off we went. We barely made it twenty feet before he spoke up again. “Just don’t tell me you’re cold later on.”

“Papa…”

“I’m just saying.” _Tic_. I rolled my eyes and focused on walking.

A few minutes in my hands and ears did start to get cold but I had an easy solution to those problems. I pulled up my hood and shoved my hands in my pockets. Done. Papa noticed this, of course, and while his aura was smug he didn’t say anything but I knew what he was thinking. ‘I told you so’. I ignored him.

When we finally got to town I felt like an ice cube. I was so cold I was shivering. Papa’s smug aura just grew stronger. _Bastard_. We hurried along down the street and made our way over to my favorite café. When we entered I had never been more relieved. Warm at last! I went to sit down at an empty tablet while Papa went up to order some snacks. He already knew what I wanted as I got the same thing every time so he didn’t bother asking.

While he was in line I connected to the free internet and went straight on Google Chrome. In the search bar, I typed in Lou Schumacher and pressed enter. I hoped that would be enough but they couldn’t be the only Lou Schumacher in the world. There had to be others as it’s not the most unique name on the planet. When the page loaded I found out that there was actually some dude named Lou Schumacher who had an IMDB page. _Interesting_ but not what I was looking for so I added news articles to the search and tried again. This one produced some hits. I found articles from a small town in Pennsylvania named Kingston. Before reading these articles I decided to check this place out on Maps and found that it was an _incredibly_ small town. It couldn’t have more than a thousand people. Maybe two thousand but that was stretching it.

I noticed Papa was coming over with some snacks so I turned off the tablet and put it to the side. I thanked him as he handed me my food and drink and I expected him to sit down but he didn’t and he was only holding a drink. No food which was odd. “Are you not sitting down?”

“Nah. I was going to leave you here and do my errands.” This shocked me.

“You’re going to leave me here? After everything that happened?”

“Well, I feel confident that this is a safe place for you to just relax. I don’t think anything will happen in the thirty minutes I expect to be gone for. Are you okay with it?”

“Well yeah. I’m fifteen, after all, I just didn’t expect you to be okay with it.”

“Well, I can’t keep you in a bubble forever.” After a tic, he leaned down and kissed the top of my head. “I’ll see you in a little bit.”

“Alright, see you Papa. Love you.”

“Love you too baby girl.” I giggled as he gave me another kiss, this time on the cheek then I watched him leave. I took a few bites from my food then turned on the tablet and went back to searching for information about Zaza. I was so curious to see what I might find.


	10. Chapter 10

Unsurprisingly, there weren’t that many articles of Zaza but the ones I did find were quite interesting. The first to mention them talked about their disappearance. It basically covered everything I saw in the news report just in more detail. My guess was the news report came after the article and they televised it in case people didn’t read the paper but back in 2003, that and the TV were the only sources for news. They must have wanted to make sure that everyone saw this in not just their town but surrounding towns too in case they knew anything about the teen.

 

_The teen…_

_My Zaza…_

 

I still couldn’t believe that they ran away at only eighteen years old. I had only gotten so much information from the news clip I saw but after reading an article I discovered more about Zaza and what had happened.

 

**MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE OF TEEN MIGHT BE LINKED TO A VICIOUS KILLER**

 

Oh, if only they knew the truth…

 

“ _At approximately seven in the morning, the sheriff’s department was contacted and informed that a teenager had gone missing sometime last night. Her parents woke up to find a blood trail from their daughter’s room and out the back door which was left wide open._

_Upon investigating the teen’s bedroom, it was discovered that her bed and the surrounding floor was covered in blood. As of this moment, it is hard to tell if the blood belongs to her or the person who attacked her sometime during the night._

_It is too early to say how or when this event occurred but investigators believed it happened sometime between midnight and four in the morning._

_Understandably, the parents are shaken up and sources close to the Investigation claim that the mother is hysterical with grief and worry. Everyone is hoping that young Lou Schumacher is still alive but the amount of blood may suggest otherwise._ ”

 

All of this just led to more questions for me. Questions that could never be answered by the articles and news clips... Answers only Zaza had… And Zaza was gone now… So many questions…

 

_Why did Zaza want to leave?_

_Was Jeff involved in any way?_

_Did he make them leave?_

_Force them?_

_Was it Zaza who came up with the plan?_

_Did they ask Jeff for help?_

_Could they have possibly staged this by themselves?_

_Where did the blood come from?_

_Was it theirs?_

_Was Zaza so desperate to leave that they cut themselves?_

_Or were they injured because they were attacked?_

 

All of these questions were buzzing around in my head. I got lost in thought and began thinking up every possible scenario that could have happened. If Jeff was one of the reasons why Zaza left their home town, could he have been the one to take them from their home? Did he do it because he wanted to keep Zaza close by and all for himself? From what I saw of him, that seemed to be the most likely scenario. He must have attacked Zaza but this led to even _more_ questions.

Even if this happened late at night, how could Zaza’s parents not have heard a struggle? There is no way Zaza could have gotten hurt and not made a sound. I saw a photo of their house in that article and it didn’t look very big. The main floor was probably not even twice the size of our RV. There is no way anyone could have slept through a fight unless they took a heavy dose of sleeping pills but I found that hard to believe. There wasn’t much information about their parents but they didn’t seem like the type to do that.

That started to make me think that maybe Zaza was behind it… If they planned this then, of course, there would be no noise to wake their parents because there wouldn’t have been a struggle. They would have screamed though if they got cut… Unless they bit into something… But that would mean they wanted to get injured so they either did it themselves or had someone else do it. If so, then who was the other person?

All I could do was guess. Zaza wasn’t around anymore so I couldn’t ask them all of these questions and I doubt that Papa knew anything. He did say that Zaza didn’t really talk about their past. Was this the reason why? If they did run away, could that be why they didn’t say anything? Knowing Papa, he would have tried to get them back home to reconnect with their family as family is super important to him. That would all make sense.

I scrolled down and saw there was an update to the article. They must have thought updating it would be easier than making a whole separate page. This update gave more details about what had happened.

 

“ _Update_ :

 _The sheriff’s department is still unsure of when exactly the kidnapping took place but some think it could have been as early as nine at night after testing the blood._ ”

 

 _Nine_? Nine in the _evening_?! That doesn’t make sense! If Zaza was the one who staged the whole thing then there was no way they would have done it that early. It was too risky! Even if their parents went to bed early they would still wake up to loud enough sounds!

 

 _Unless_ …

 

 _Oh god_ …

 

What if Zaza drugged their parents beforehand?! That would prevent them from waking up but could Zaza have been capable of doing that? They treasured family just as much as Papa did. Were they able to drug their own parents? Was running away really that important to them? If they had a partner then maybe they did the deed. That had to be it. I don’t think Zaza could have pulled that off…

I had so many questions and it brought up so many emotions. I was frustrated because I could never ask Zaza about all of this and that made me sad and angry. I was sad that Zaza was dead and angry that Jeff had taken them from us. I took a deep breath to calm myself down before I lost control. I set down the tablet and went back to eating the food Papa had gotten me. It made me feel a bit better but not much. When I had finished my snack I picked up the tablet once again and continued reading the article.

 

“ _Investigators found that the teenager’s bed was soaked in blood and there were bloody footprints leading from the room to the back door. Sources have said that the blood trail only lasted a few feet away from the house before disappearing so there is no clear clue as to where the kidnapper could have taken Lou. One investigator who was interviewed said, that while it is impossible to say for sure, he suspects that they could have gone in the forest just up the street from the house. Here is a statement from the investigator:_

_While there is no way to say for sure, I am confident in saying that whoever took Lou, took her into the forest. It is the perfect place to take a victim. Those woods are so big that it would take years for us to search every inch. The kidnapper has to be aware of this already. We do not know if they are keeping her in a shack somewhere or if they disposed of the body but either way, it can be years before we find her. If we do._

_We do not know why the kidnapper took Lou instead of simply killing her and leaving her body in her bedroom. There had been some speculation that whoever took her is also responsible for the murder of Carl Daniels but we can’t be sure. My theory is these two are not the same person. I think the killer, also known as ‘The Skeleton’ and the person who took Lou are two completely different people. If they were the same, then it wouldn’t make sense as to why he killed Carl but took Lou._

 

_As of right now, the police don’t have any clues as to why the eighteen-year-old was taken. They tried going through their phone but the device was wiped completely clean which suggests that she might have staged her own disappearance. Of course, the parents adamantly deny this and insist that their daughter was taken unwillingly. The sight if the blood does back up this theory but when compared to the wiped phone it makes it more likely that she ran away and made it look like a kidnapping._

_If she did run away, then no one has any guesses as to why. According to reports of those closest to her, she was a happy girl with a great life. She excelled in school and had a chance of getting into any college she wanted. It doesn’t make sense as to why she would want to give all of that up but no one really knows what she could have been going through._

_While this is farfetched, one investigator said that she might have gotten mixed up in criminal activity and left in order to protect herself. Some of her classmates have stated that she was always a loner and preferred to keep to herself. She hardly said more than a few words to others but was even seen at a party with a now missing classmate who was known to partake in drugs and illegal activity. His case and this one have been cleared of having anything related to each other and it is possible that whoever is responsible for his disappearance might have come back for Lou._ ”

 

A party? Like a party with drugs and alcohol? That didn’t sound like Zaza at all! Why on earth would they go to a party?! That had to have been made up unless that boy they referenced was one of their first victims...  Concerning the theory about Zaza being involved in illegal activity was not that far from the truth...

Zaza had connections to Jeff so they probably left to keep their parents safe. That seemed like something they would do. If they weren’t killed then they would have left with Jeff in order to keep us safe... That wouldn’t have been easy for us which is why it was best that they died... If Jeff had taken them god knows where... there was no telling what he would do to them. Death was the best option for them... They were at peace and I knew they were watching over me. I took comfort in that.

I wanted to keep reading and maybe see if I could find a picture of Zaza or their family but by then I had had enough. I had at least gotten one bit of information that I so desperately wanted. The name of Zaza’s home town.

 

_Kingston, Pennsylvania._

 

I decided that when Papa returned, I would ask him if we could go to Zaza's home town. Maybe he would have decided on a place for us to go to by then but if not, maybe, just _maybe_ I could convince him to drive us across the country. It would take a few days, possibly a week but I didn’t care. I wanted to go there and see what it was like. It was the place Zaza grew up in. I wanted to check it out for myself.

I closed the tabs and watched YouTube until Papa returned. He came into the cafe and his cheeks were a light shade of pink. It was cold out and he failed to bring a scarf while he forced me to wear one... “Hey babe.” He said as he approached the table I was sitting at. “You ready to go?”

“Yep.” I got up, threw out my trash and followed him out of the building. A cold gust of wind hit me the moment I stepped outside. I shivered and pulled my scarf around my face. “It’s freezing!”

“Yeah, it got colder in the last forty minutes...” Papa pulled his hood up to try and shield his face from the cold wind but it did little good. “Once we get back in the forest the wind won’t be that bad.”

“Then let’s hurry!” Papa chuckled and we picked up our pace. He was holding four big bags of things so he couldn’t go very fast. Normally we would have raced back but it wasn’t possible at the moment. I offered to help carry some bags but he said he was fine. I asked a second time when we hit the forest and another time when we were maybe halfway back but each time he told me that he was fine but I could see that he was getting tired. His shoulders were slouched and he was walking slower than normal.

“I’m fine babe. No need to worry about me.”

“Papa, you don’t have to act strong around me. Zaza always said it was okay to show weakness. It’s not a bad thing.” Papa tensed up when I mentioned Zaza. I understood it. He was still hurting from their death.  “Let me take at least one.” I tried to grab one that I thought might be light enough for me to carry but Papa stepped away from me while taking the bag back.

“No, no. It’s fine. I got this.”

“I’m just trying to help...”

“I know and I’m grateful but you don’t have to.” I sighed and we continued walking. When we got home I went straight for the RV. I got in and expected Papa to follow me but he was nowhere to be seen.

“Papa?” I called out as I stuck my head outside. I looked over at the truck and saw him loading the bags in the back.

“I’ll be there in a second!” He called back to me. I nodded and went back inside, closing the door behind me. I went to the bedroom where I plugged in the tablet and left it to charge. I took off my coat and boots then flopped down on the bed. It wasn’t that late in the day but I was already feeling tired. All of that reading I did and all of the questions I had made me exhausted. I was just about to drift off when Papa came in. I heard him open some cupboards and clattering around in the kitchen. He couldn’t have been making dinner as it was still too early. Maybe he was just making a snack. “Hey baby, you want to watch a movie?”

“Sure.” I wasn’t sure if I wanted to as I was so tired but I needed something to do. Might as well watch a movie with Papa to pass the time. After a few seconds, I found the energy to get up and went to join Papa in the main living space. Normally we all watched movies there but on the night we watched Venom, we watched it in the bedroom so we could all easily snuggle up with each other. Now that it was just Papa and me we could easily fit on the theatre seating in the main living area...

“I wasn’t sure if there were any snacks leftover so I bought some more,” Papa said as he held up a plastic shopping bag.

“I think we still have some left over but it never hurts to have more snacks,” I said jokingly to lighten the mood. It seemed every little thing made papa depressed as it reminded him of Zaza... He was doing much worse than me... He was doing a good job at keeping it all together but I worried about him. I wished Papa didn’t act so tough all the time.

 

_I wished Zaza was still with us..._

 

I went over to our small movie collection and picked out our copy of _Captain America: Winter Soldier_. It was my second favourite movie, Venom being the first. I loaded the disc in the player and went to sit on the couch. Papa was already sitting on one side and handed me a drink and some snacks when I sat down. “So what are we watching today?”

“Winter Soldier,” I replied and took the food. “Thanks.”

“No problem babe and good choice. I love that movie.”

“Is it because you have a crush on Bucky?”

“What? Me? _Crush_? Nah.” I giggled and he nudged me playfully. “Oh shut up.”

“You _totally_ have a crush on him and don’t lie!”

“Shhh!” I laughed which only got louder when he had a tic. He grew embarrassed and pulled the hood of his hoodie over his head. “Devil child...”

“You love me.” I winked and he rolled his eyes. “You have no choice but to love me. I’m your baby after all.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re very cheeky though...”

“And guess where I learned that from.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about...”

“ _Right_.” I squealed when he reached over and messed up my hair. It didn’t need any help in that department.

“Cheeky girl!”

“Papa! Movie!” I pointed to the screen when the main menu popped up.

“Alright, fine.” He pulled his hand away but kept his trademark smirk on his face. “But you aren’t off the hook just yet. Just you wait until the end of the movie.”

“Oh no...” He chuckled, picked up the remote and pressed play. We both sat back and enjoyed the movie the best we could while munching on our snacks. After the movie, I tensed up slightly and prepared to ask about going to Zaza’s home town. “So... um... Papa can I talk to you..?”

“Always. What’s up?”

“Well, I wanted to ask you, where do you plan on moving us tomorrow?”

“Oh... Well...To be honest I’m not quite sure...” He admitted. _Perfect_.

“Well, that’s great because I just might have a place in mind.” He perked up and looked at me.

“Oh yeah? And where might that be?”

“Well I was able to find out some things about Zaza and I found out that they came from a small town in Pennsylvania named Kingston. I thought that maybe we could go there... It’s a small town with under two thousand people and it looks nice from what I saw.”

“That sounds like a good idea but that’s on the other side of the country. Just driving from my hometown of Denver to here was a long trip. Are you sure you are ready for that?”

I nodded. “I really want to see where Zaza grew up. It looks like a setting from one of my favourite stories and we should be safe from Jeff there. I doubt he would go looking for us there.”

“That’s true but it’s still such a long drive...”

“Please Papa!” I clasped my hands together and gave him the biggest puppy dog eyes I could manage. He tried to look away but he was powerless against me. I could be super cute when I really tried and Papa always gave in. There was no way he could resist the power of my cuteness. He never could which is why I got away with so many things as a child.

“Alright fine, we can go to Kingston.”

“ _Awesome_!” I jumped on his lap and gave him a big hug. He chuckled and hugged back.

“Alright now, settle down you wild thing.”

“Hey, you are just as wild as me! In fact, I got this from you!”

“ _Nonsense_! I am not _that_ wild.”

“Liar!” I put him in a headlock and since I took him by surprise, I had the upper hand. I laughed as he struggled in my grip but he just couldn’t escape. “Admit that you’re a liar and I’ll let you go!”

“ _Never_!” Papa’s voice was muffled as his face was pressed against my arm. I kept laughing and eventually, Papa managed to break loose. “ _Freedom_!”

“ _No_!” I tried to recapture him but he knew it was coming. He moved out of the way then grabbed me in a big bear hug. My arms were pinned to my side so there was no hope of escape now.

“Oh, how the tables have turned my dear child.” Papa was so smug. I pouted and when I stopped struggling he let me go and we laughed as we snuggled up together. Finally, life seemed to be going back to normal. Papa was becoming his usual playful self but I knew he was still in a great amount of pain. He was just getting better at hiding it.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For extra feels, if you want to suffer, play the song "Hold On" by Cord Overstreet about halfway through and make sure to listen to the acoustic version if you wanna die.

Papa and I snuggled together for a while on the puffy leather couch. The atmosphere around us was finally peaceful. There was still some pain lingering in the air but it was slowly returning to normal. We would never feel complete without Zaza but we were beginning to rebuild our lives without them, even though it was difficult.

“So how long do you think it will take us to get to Kingston?” I asked, breaking the silence. Papa thought about it for a few seconds before responding.

“Well, it could take about a week. I plan on taking frequent breaks so I’m not driving all day. Are you prepared for such a long drive?”

“Yes,” I replied almost immediately after. “I can’t wait to see where Zaza used to live. I wonder if we’ll run into their family...”

“I mean, if they still live there then it is possible but we should avoid revealing ourselves to them.”

“Why? Don’t you think they would want to know about me? I’m probably their only grandchild after all.”

“I’m sure they would but remember, Zaza ran away sixteen years ago. They probably think they are still alive somewhere, or at least hoping, and if we reveal ourselves then we will also have to inform them that their child is dead. That is not something I really want to do.” He paused as he had a tic then continued. “I really think its best we don’t say anything if we happen to run into their parents. Its best if they believe that Zaza is still out there, still alive somewhere.”

“But what if _I_ want to meet them?” Papa’s eyes widened.

“ _What?_ You seriously want to meet Zaza’s parents?”

“Of course! They are my grandparents! You are my only family at the moment but now that I know that Zaza has family out there I want to meet them! They are my family and I have the right to meet them and get to know them!”

“ _Feronia_...” Papa spoke in a warning tone. He was warning me to drop the topic but I wasn’t going to.

“Papa! _Please!_ I want to get to know my family! And I am sure they would want to know about me!” I stood up from my seat and turned to face him. He looked up at me with narrowed eyes. He was getting frustrated with me but I didn’t care. I had to let him know what was on my mind. “We can’t avoid telling them about Zaza’s death! We know what happened and it's only right that we tell their parents so they can finally know what happened to their child! They should know that Zaza has been alive and safe all of these years instead of being held captive against their will! They should know that their child had a happy life with you, the love of their life and raised me! They _deserve_ to know!”

“ **FERONIA!** ” Papa snapped. I froze. His voice was loud. So loud that it felt like it shook the whole home. He stood up and looked down at me. I backed away from him, now scared from his outburst. He got right in my face and grabbed me by my shoulders. “That is **enough**! There will be no more talk of this! Is this why you wanted to go there?! To meet Zaza’s family?! Zaza left home for a _reason_! To keep their family _safe_! They didn’t want them involved in this!”

“In what, Papa?! How you and Zaza kill for a living?! A life you so generously bestowed on me?!” Papa was so shocked by this that he let me go and took a step back. “You and Zaza had no trouble bringing me into this life! When I was only _five years old_ you started bringing me with you on killings! How come you don’t want me telling their parents about this when you easily made the decision to train me to kill?!”

“It **_wasn’t_** easy!” He snapped back. Now it was my turn to be shocked. “It _wasn’t_... We didn’t want to... We never wanted you to be involved in this but we couldn’t give you any other life... In the end, we thought it was best to train you how to kill so if anything happened to us, you could at least support yourself... We really wished we could have enrolled you in school and live in a normal neighbourhood but of course, that wasn’t an option... I will agree to take you to Kingston if you promise not to seek out their family... We will live there but as people who just moved there for a new start. Not because we know the person who went missing there. _Deal_?”

“Fine...” I was not happy with this decision at all but I had to go with it. I was lucky that Papa still agreed to take me there so I didn’t want him to change his mind.

“ _Good_.” He went over to the fridge and searched for something to eat while I left to go to my room and shut the door behind me.

I was upset and angry at Papa. How dare he tell me to keep this secret from Zaza’s family! We were going to move to their hometown where we would most likely run into each other at some point but I was going to have to act like we knew nothing about their child! I had no clue what Zaza’s parents looked like but I had no doubt that I would be able to recognize them the moment I saw them. They would have similar auras that Zaza did, even me. Our aurae would be drawn together but I would have to act like we were total strangers... It wasn’t going to be easy and I wondered if I would be able to keep my mouth shut...

I crawled into bed and pulled the covers up over my head. Just when I thought that life was going back to normal Papa and I just had to get into an argument... We have never fought like that before... When Zaza was still here, no one ever got angry with each other. The most fighting that ever happened was Zaza smacking Papa for stealing their food but that was just them being silly instead of actually being angry...

 

_I wished Zaza was still here..._

 

As I thought about Zaza, I began to cry. I didn’t think I was capable of shedding any more tears but I was wrong. I hugged my pillow and cried into it. I wasn’t quiet by any means so I was positive that Papa was able to hear me but if he did, he didn’t come to check on me. Maybe he thought it was best to leave me be and when I was ready, I would go to him. I was fifteen after all. I wasn’t a baby so if I wanted to talk to him, then I would but I didn’t want to. He was dealing with his own pain from losing Zaza.

 

He didn’t need me adding to it...

 

I remained under the covers of my bed, in the safety of my room for a long time. I cried until the tears stopped coming... Until my chest hurt when I breathed... Until a headache began to form... When I began to calm down, I pushed down the covers and took in a deep breath of the fresh air. I used the sleeve of my shirt to wipe the salty tears off my face and settled in bed.

My eyelids began to close. Normally I didn’t take naps during the day but I was tired from all of that crying. I wrapped the blanket tightly around me to try and mimic the hugs Zaza used to give me and went to sleep.

 

_The day was sunny and the birds were chirping. It was summer so the trees were full of lushes green leaves that rustled in the gentle breeze. The river by our home was flowing with cool fresh water. The water glittered like diamonds when the sun hit it. It sparkled. It was a beautiful sight._

_I went over to the water and took off my shoes and socks before dipping my feet in. It was cold but not unpleasant. I was actually a welcoming feeling as that particular day was incredibly hot and humid. The cold water was refreshing. So refreshing that I went in deeper. I went to the middle of the river which barely came up to my knees but because it had been raining for days beforehand, the water was faster and higher than normal. If I wasn’t careful I could fall and most likely drown._

_“Baby, be careful.” Came Zaza’s voice from a beach chair placed under the canopy of the RV._

_“I will Zaza!” I called back. I continued wadding in the river and felt the pebbles beneath my feet. They were smooth and felt good beneath my feet. It was almost like I was getting a massage. I could sense Zaza’s aura. They were worried about me but I was fine. I swam in this river all the time. Nothing was going to happen and so far, nothing did but still, they worried._

_I crouched down after a few steps and went to pick something up. I couldn’t tell what it was at the water was flowing so fast that anything underneath was nothing but blurs. I felt around and eventually found the thing that had caught my eye. I felt around and grabbed hold of something that I guessed was a thin chain used for necklaces. I pulled on the chain but whatever was attached to it was stuck. I pulled harder but still, it didn’t budge._

_“Sweetie, is something wrong?”_

_“No, but I think I found a necklace. It won’t move though!” I called back to Zaza. “I’m going to get it eventually!” I went back to pulling and after a particularly hard tug, the chain and whatever was attached to it, finally came loose. I pulled up the object out of the water and got a good look at this necklace. The thin chain was silver in colour and attached to the chain was something I had never seen before. It was a small pendant but it was a symbol I had never seen the symbol before. It was a black circle with a black X. It gave off an eerie vibe._

_“Did you get it?”_

_“Yeah. Check it out.” I held it up as I made my way over to Zaza. When I got close to them the pendant began to shake. This intensified the closer I got to Zaza. They noticed this and the look on their face was something I would never forget. Their eyes went wide and the book they were holding fell to the ground. They jumped to their feet and rushed over to me and reached out for the necklace. The moment their fingers brushed against it there was a bright flash of light and I was thrown to the ground._

_I felt dizzy and had a slight headache. I wasn’t sure if it was caused by the bright light or if my head hit the ground when I fell. I wasn’t sure what happened as it was such a shock to me. I cracked open one eye and lifted my head to see what happened to Zaza. I blinked a few times until my vision focused and now I could see that Zaza was nowhere in sight._

_“Zaza?!” I looked around frantically trying to find them but they were gone. I ignored the dull pain in my head and my aching body as I got to my feet. I felt super light headed but sucked it up and took a few steps forward. My legs were wobbly and unstable but somehow managed to hold me up. “Zaza!” I called out but got no response._

_I noticed that the sun had disappeared. Dark clouds had quickly moved in and filled up the whole sky but there was no indication that it was about to rain. Strange. The wind also stopped. The trees were so silent and still that it was like the whole world had been put on pause. This terrified me. This kind of thing should not even be possible._

_What was going on?_

_I kept calling out for Zaza but didn’t get any response. How come? They were here just seconds ago! I knew for a fact that I hadn’t been knocked unconscious so there was no significant passage of time. If Zaza was affected the same way I was, which I was positive they were, then they couldn’t have gotten up and walked away. Even if they did then they couldn’t have gotten very far so I should be able to see them but I didn’t. They were nowhere in sight._

_I looked down at the necklace that was still in my hand. It looked like a normal necklace. It wasn’t moving or glowing. It was just an ordinary looking necklace... But it was far from ordinary... This necklace was the reason for the changes in nature and the reason why I couldn’t find Zaza... “ZAZA!” I screamed at the top of my lungs._

_I heard something. A sound not too far away. I couldn’t tell what made it but I was able to tell which direction it was coming from so that’s where I went. I had a feeling it might have been Zaza so I ran as fast as my shaky legs could take me. I called out over and over again for Zaza, hoping to hear that sound again or any sound but the world fell silent again._

_Zaza..._

_Where are you..?_

_As I ran, I started to cry. Tears flowed heavily from my eyes and quickly soaked the top of my shirt. I just wanted Zaza back._

_I ran a good thirty feet, if not more before starting to slow down. I held back any more tears from falling and held my breath. I was listening for a sound. Anything that could tell me which direction Zaza was in. I closed my eyes to try and focus. It didn’t take long for me to hear another sound. This was clearer than the first time I heard it. It sounded almost like someone was being choked._

_I had to hurry!_

_I took off in a sprint. I had to get to Zaza before they were killed! They had to have been taken by someone just after the blast and I feared that whoever it was, was going to kill them. I’m not sure why I was so sure of this but I was._

_I made it to Zaza after only seconds of sprinting and the sight before me made me want to vomit. Zaza was on the ground with blood coming from their nose, mouth, and ears. Their eyes were wide and looking at nothing. They didn’t even look at me when I got close. Now that I was only inches away from them I could clearly hear the sounds of them choking on something. It had to be their own blood as there was also a gurgling sound. My knees gave out and I threw myself over Zaza._

_“Zaza! Please don’t leave me!” I cried out._

_They coughed up some blood and somehow found the strength to lift a hand up to my head. They couldn’t speak but I could tell that they wanted to reassure me. They wanted to tell me that everything was going to be alright but we both knew that wasn’t the case... Whatever happened to them, I knew it was going to claim their life. It was only a matter of time... but no matter how long that would take I was going to stay with them. I wasn’t going to leave until they had passed. I didn’t want them to die all alone in the woods._

_I hugged them tightly as I rest my head on their chest. My ear was pressed up against them and I could hear their heartbeat. It was weak but still there. They were still alive. Maybe they would be able to make it._

_Please..._

_Please live Zaza..._

_I need you..._

_You need to come home with me..._

_Papa and I need you..._

_I held on to Zaza and cried again. Their hand remained on my head even after minutes of continuous bleeding. When I got the strength to look up at them I could see that they were pale and looking lifeless. Their eyes looked to be glazed over as if they were dead but I could still feel their chest rise and fall with every breath they took. It took effort but they could still breathe._

_They were still alive._

_“Zaza please...” I choked out. “Please hold on... Papa and I need you to come home to us... We can’t live without you... Please!”_

_“Fer...Fero...nia...” I did not like the sound of their voice. They were forcing my name out with what little strength they had. Their breathing became laboured and their voice was raspy. It wouldn’t be long now until they left me..._

_“Zaza! Zaza please don’t go! I’m not ready! You can’t die! Not yet! Please!” Zaza couldn’t answer me. They no longer had the strength. All they could do was smile but it was barely visible. All they could do was slightly lift the corners of their mouth. “Zaza... I love you...”_

_I felt their hand fall from my head and heard it land on the ground with a thud. I let out a low whining sound then the flood gates opened... Big salty tears escaped my eyes and dripped on to Zaza. I threw my head back and let out a loud scream as I cried. I threw myself over Zaza’s body as I cried and begged them to come back._

_They couldn’t be dead!_

_No!_

_They had to come back!_

_Zaza!_


	12. Chapter 12

I woke up screaming. I suddenly sat up in bed and looked around to see if I was still in my room or somewhere else... Tears were streaming down my face and I was covered in sweat. Papa rushed into the room, probably fearing that Jeff had found us and when he saw no one but me, he calmed down. He rushed over to the bed where he sat down beside me and pulled me into a hug. I threw my arms around him and cried into his chest.

“What’s wrong baby?” He asked in a soothing voice and stroked my hair.

“…N-Nothing… Just a bad dream…”

“Do you want to talk about it?” I shook my head. He didn’t need to hear my dream. Not when we were just starting to move on. “Alright. Well, if you do ever want to talk about anything, I’m here.”

“Thanks…”

“I will always be here for you, no matter what.” He kissed the top of my head and I smiled slightly. It made me feel a bit better. I stayed in his arms for a while before pulling away. I looked up at him and gave a small smile.

“So what’s for breakfast?”

“Is there anything you want?”

“Maybe chocolate chip pancakes?”

“On it.” He kissed my cheek before standing up. “How about you take a quick shower before coming out to eat. It might help you feel better.” I nodded and he left the room to start making the food. I watched him leave but didn’t move. I stayed on the bed for a long time. I was thinking about the dream I had last night then thought about the event that inspired it… I wasn’t totally surprised that Zaza had returned to me in my dream or that it was about them dying… It was a major event that had a huge impact on my life so of course, it would come to me in a dream… but there was something that bothered me about it.

 

_That necklace._

 

It was strange. I had never seen that symbol before, the circle with the x… What did it mean? Why did it come to me in my dream? I have read many books and watched lots of movies but never had I seen anything like that before. I decided to sketch it out before I forgot it.

I got out of bed and went over to the dresser across the room. I opened one of the top drawers and pulled out Zaza’s sketchbook and pencil case. I opened up the book and flipped through the pictures that filled the pages. Many of the sketches were of Papa which was no surprise. They were of him in silly poses and making funny faces. There were quite a few of me but I looked more serious. I was the total opposite of Papa. Zaza had sketched me when I was focused on things like the latest book I was reading or even taking a nap outside on the grass.

They were so talented… They perfectly captured our personalities in these sketches… These were more precious to me than any photographs I had taken. These were made by Zaza. They created these sketches and put so much effort in them which was clearly visible. When you looked at them, you can tell that the artist loved the subjects. Zaza put great detail in them. I could tell they spent more time on our faces than bodies. The faces and our expressions were what was important to Zaza.

A single tear fell from my eye as I looked at these. Papa was so happy. Zaza did an excellent job at capturing his big stupid grin and they even got the playful sparkle in his eyes. I didn’t know how they managed it but they did. It was picture perfect. I was sad knowing that we would never have any new sketches but at least I had these.

I flipped to an empty page, took out a pencil and sketched out the symbol from my dream. It took a few tries as I tried to remember what it was but after four failed attempts I finally got it right. I sketched out a full page version on the last empty page and when I was done, I held the sketchbook out to get a better look at it. This is what Zaza always did when they were finishing up one of their sketches to make sure it looked the way they wanted it to look. I took a look at the symbol I had sketched out and was satisfied that it was the same as the one I saw in my dream.

I briefly wondered if Papa would know anything about it but I highly doubted it. I saw this randomly in a dream. What were the chances that Papa would recognize the symbol? Probably close to zero. I might bring it up to him on a later date but I didn’t expect to get any sort of response.

I closed the sketchbook and set it on the dresser then went over to the bathroom. I turned on the shower then stripped out of my clothes that had been dampened from my sweat. When the water was warm I stepped in the spacious shower and let the water fall on my face and down my body. It felt nice. It was as if the water was washing away that nightmare. The vision of Zaza's death and all of the sadness that came along with it went down the drain.

I watched as the water fell from my body and down the drain. I heard the tapping sounds each drop made as it hit the plastic shower. It was soothing in a way. All I focused on was the sounds made by the water. I didn’t think of Zaza, Papa or Jeff… I didn’t think about the past, back when Zaza was still alive or the future. I just watched the water as it carried away my problems.

Eventually, the water grew cold which told me I had been in for too long so. I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. To my right was a towel rack with a pastel pink towel hanging on it. That towel was obviously mine as Papa would never use something so ‘girly’. I removed it from the rack and wrapped the big fluffy towel around my small body. It was so big that I almost disappeared in it. I never understood why Zaza got me one so big but it was very good at keeping me warm.

I dried myself off then scurried off to my room to fetch some clean clothes. While we had heating, it was still super cold! Even more so now that I had just emerged from the shower. I quickly put on a long sleeved shirt, thick sweat pants, thick and long socks, and one of Zaza’s hoodies. They had a few and all of them were very soft on the inside and warm. No wonder they loved them so much.

Now that I was dressed I went back to the bathroom and grabbed a small towel which I wrapped around my head. It would be faster to dry my hair with a blow dryer but I didn’t like how poofy that made my hair so I let it dry naturally with some help from the towel. When it was securely tied on my head I went over to the booth and slid on to the padded seat. Papa had already placed a plate with two pancakes on the table and a medium sized jug of maple syrup. I picked up the jug and poured the perfect amount of syrup on my pancakes although, if Zaza was still around, they would say I went overboard and was drowning my pancakes.

“You sure took your time,” Papa commented as he brought over his plate of food. He decided not to have pancakes so he made himself some scrambled eggs.

“Yeah. I was just thinking about what Kingston is like.”

“I imagine its like one of those small towns in the books you read,” Papa said and took a bite of his eggs. I nodded and cut up my pancakes then took a bite. There wasn’t much for us to talk about so we ate in silence. It was a bit strange but not awkward. It just wasn’t normal for us to eat without talking but as of late, there wasn’t much for us to say... At least, nothing positive...

When we finished eating Papa took the plates to the sink where he hand-washed them and put them away. While he did that I went back to the bathroom and removed the towel from my hair. It was by no means dry but all I had to do was pull up the hood to keep me warm when I went outside. I put the towel back on the rack then went  back to my room and packed my bag for traveling. I packed the tablet, sketchbook, some of my un-read novels and of course, snacks. This car trip was going to take a while so I was sure I was going to finish these books quickly. I zipped up my bag and went back to the main living space where I found Papa cleaning up the last bits of items.

He hadn’t noticed me yet and I could see the sad look on his face. He and Zaza had found this place before I was born and had settled down here, hoping to live the rest of their lives together... He looked out the window which had the perfect view of the river and sighed. This was the last time we would see this place. It was hard for me as this is the only home I had ever known but for Papa... This place was supposed to be where he and Zaza grew old together and even died together. They had plans to be buried beside each other near the river but now...

I went over to him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. “Before we go I think we should leave a little memorial for Zaza...” I suggested. He looked at me for a few seconds before looking back out the window then nodded.

“Yeah... Let’s do it...” He let out a rather loud and long sigh but when it passed he turned to me with a small smile on his face. “I’m done here so let’s go make a memorial.”

I nodded and together we went outside. He unlocked the car for me so I could toss in my bag then we went around and gathered some stones. It was a bit hard to do as they were all buried under snow but being in the woods, the trees blocked most of it from coming down so we only got half of what the town had. We uncovered as many rocks as we could and carried them over to the biggest tree nearby. Zaza always said they wanted to be buried under this tree as it gave the most shade and just had a magical aura to it. I never sensed it but who was I to argue? If they said it was magical, then it was.

We placed the stones in the shape of a heart under the chosen tree. Inside of this heart outline, we arranged smaller rocks so they formed Zaza’s initials; L. S. R.

 

_Lou Schumacher Rogers_

 

Papa kneeled beside the little memorial and gently ran his fingers over the cold rocks. “Lou... My beloved Lou... I will never forget you... You were, are... the love of my life, my soul mate, my other half. I don’t know how I will go on without you but I will do my best as Feronia needs me. I will do everything in my power to keep her safe... I promise you...”

I went over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. This small gesture was enough to tip him over the edge and he burst into tears. He placed one hand over mine as he cried. He started off with small whimpering but that soon turned into howls. It hurt me to see him like that. I wasn’t sure what to do. I had no clue if I should say anything or give him space. In a panic, I fell to my knees beside him and pulled him into a tight hug. He gingerly wrapped his arms around me and cried into my shoulder. I held on to him as tightly as I could and we just sat there. I didn’t say anything. I didn’t know what I could say that might comfort him so I just let him cry. He needed to do this. He had been strong for so long but even the strongest have their breaking points.

When he was done he quickly sat up and wiped away his tears. “S-Sorry...” He said in between sobs.

“Papa, you don’t have to be sorry. It’s alright to cry.”

“I know, I just hate that you had to see me like this...”

“I know but I don’t mind. You are stronger for crying then keeping it locked away.” He looked shocked at first but that was quickly replaced with a smile. He leaned over and kissed my cheek.

“I love you so much baby girl. Thanks for that.”

“I love you more Papa and you’re welcome.” I gave him another hug and after he collected himself, we got to our feet and went to the truck. He started the engine to warm up the car as he prepared the RV for travel. I got comfortable in the passenger side seat and pulled out the book I was currently reading. I barely noticed when Papa got in the car and since I was so absorbed in my book, he didn’t see the need to disturb me so he started the truck and off we went.

I only noticed we were on the move when we made it about halfway out of the woods. I set my book on my lap and looked out of the window. “Have you finally returned from whichever world you visited today?”

I giggled. “Yes Papa. _For now_.”

“For now? Oh, well I’m glad I can chat with my own daughter for a little while. I won’t be completely alone then.” He said jokingly.

“Shut up,” I said while suppressing a smile. He chuckled and turned the car on to the main driving trail. We drove for a comfortable silence and headed for the old pawn shop where Papa and Zaza knew the owner. I had only been there once or twice and from what I remembered, the man was a bit odd but was fairly nice to us. “What are we doing here?” I asked as we pulled up in front of the old looking building.

“I’m just going to tell him that we’re leaving the area. You can stay here as I won’t take long.” He explained as he unbuckled his seat belt.

“Okay.” I wasn’t sure why he felt the need to say goodbye with the man as he wasn’t exactly a friend of ours. Why did Papa feel the need to let him know we were leaving? It wasn’t really any of his business. I knew they had been in touch pretty much since he and Zaza arrived but still. It was more of a business relationship than an actual friendship. I shrugged it off then went back to my book and waited for Papa to return. He didn’t take long and when he hopped back in the truck, he rubbed his hands together as that day was the coldest of the year. “You should have worn your gloves,” I said, not even bothering to look up from my book.

“Hey you!” I squealed when he ruffled up my hair and tried to move away. If it wasn’t for a tic, I don’t think he would have stopped. He laughed when the tic subsided and buckled up again. “You ready?”

“More than ready.”

“Well then let’s go.” He put the car in drive and off we went. We left town at around ten in the morning so we decided to drive until noon and would stop at the closest restaurant to have lunch. I wasn’t sure how far that would be but we were going to find out. Right after driving out of the small town I looked out the window and watched as we passed by a river. This river was the same one that ran by our old home, only bigger. The river was hidden behind a thin wall of trees but I was able to make out the shimmering water as the sun reflected off it. We then drove on to a short bridge and I gasped at the view before us. What I noticed and what amazed me was the large mountainous bit of land before us. All around us were nothing but trees and they extended all the way up the mountain. When mixed with the water and the bright sunny day it looked like something you’d see in a movie. I had never seen anything like it. It was amazing!

Quickly, I pulled out the tablet and opened the camera app and began snapping away. The camera quality was really crisp for a tablet so I got some amazing pictures. Papa noticed this and slowed down the car as much as he could to give me a few extra seconds to take pictures before we passed the area. He was the best. We drove past the bridge and down a long road and on our right, we went past the vast forest I had seen just seconds before while on the left, was the river. The water looked like it went on for miles and the forest, even further.

We drove along the water for about two minutes before it vanished behind thin, tall trees that were growing out of elevated earth. I was a bit disappointed that I could no longer see the water but it was only a matter of time before it came back into sight although I was still hidden behind the trees. At least I could catch a glimpse of the water that sparkled like the stars. When the water no longer became visible, I focused my attention at the view in front of us. On either side of the road was nothing but a wall of trees. They were so tall that it almost felt like we were in a tunnel. Then in the distance I could see another mountain. It was so far in the distance that it had a pale bluish colour to it and no matter how long we drove, it never seemed to get any closer.

We drove down the road for a few minutes until we passed by something that looked like it could be a house but if it was, it was practically a mansion! I looked closely as we passed by and I saw a sign placed just by the driveway and it read: DETROIT RANGER STATION and on the sign beside those words was the ranger badge. Those rangers must have been in charge of the woods we used to live in. I wondered how none of them had ever come across us in all of the time we lived there. I wouldn’t be surprised if Papa or Zaza, maybe both, got rid of anyone who got too close.

I had now gotten over my excitement and since everything looked the same now I opened up my book again and began reading. I had been reading for maybe three or four minutes until Papa got my attention. “Babe, look up to your left.” I did and gasped when I saw the twinkle of the water again. I sat up in my seat and leaned over Papa to get a better look.

“It so pretty!”

“Yeah, it almost looks like magic or something.”

“It really does!” I sat back in my seat and got comfortable as I enjoyed the view. This time, the water remained in sight for about fifteen minutes at most. It was more than enough for me to burn the beautiful image into my brain. As we drove, some trees did block the view but only slightly. I could still see the water so I didn’t mind the occasional cluster of trees.

Eventually, my excitement had drained my energy and in combination with the gentle hum of the engine and the steady pace we were driving at, I dozed off to sleep. This time I didn’t have any nightmares.


	13. Chapter 13

When I woke up, I felt like I was in a totally different world. All around us were dozens and dozens of homes and they were all very close together. Back at the town by our forest, the homes were a few yards away from each other but these homes looked to be right on top of each other. It was strange.

“I see someone is finally awake.” I tiredly turned my head to Papa who was smirking. “It’s about time. I was so lonely the past fifty minutes.”

“Was I really asleep for that long?” I asked and rubbed the sleep from one eye.

“Oh yeah. You were sound asleep pretty much since we left town. You must have been really tired.”

“Yeah... I didn’t get a good sleep last night...” I reluctantly admitted. Papa would have known that something was wrong but he didn’t ask.

“Well now is the perfect time to catch up on some sleep and you woke up at the perfect time.” He adjusted the sun visor and looked at something in the distance. “I think we are coming up to a Burger King.”

“What’s that?”

“Oh right, I forgot...” He cleared his throat and avoided eye contact with me. I knew why. I had been so sheltered my whole life. There was so much I didn’t know about the world. “Well, it’s a fast food restaurant and while I haven’t had the food for two decades, from what I remember the burgers are really good.” He took an exit off the highway and in the distance, I could see a rather large parking lot and a few short buildings around it.

“Is that it?” I pointed to a square building and Papa nodded.

“Yep. There is it.” He pulled into the parking lot and my eyes went wide. It went on forever! It had to be able to hold at least a thousand cars! I pressed my hands and face to my window and observed my new surroundings. Papa chuckled and found a place for us to park near the Burger King.

“Papa, what’s that down there?” I pointed to a really long building on the other side of the big parking lot. Papa parked first before looking in the direction I was pointing at.

“That’s a strip mall.” He responded casually.

“A strip mall? What’s that?” He chuckled, turned off the car and unbuckled his seat belt.

“A strip mall is basically a long building that has multiple stores.”

“Woah! And they need _all_ this space?” I gestured to the huge parking lot before us.

“Well part of the parking lot belongs to the strip mall and part of it belongs to Burger King. They must have a lot of traffic coming through to warrant such a big space.” He grabbed his wallet from the storage unit in between our seats then looked at me. “You ready babe?”

“Yep!” I made sure I had everything in my bag and hopped out of the truck and put my bag on my shoulders. Papa got out too and after we closed the doors, he locked the truck and off we went. I was eager to check out this new place but Papa quickly grabbed my hand which prevented me from running off.

“Hold up my little forest goddess!” He yanked me back and I fell against his chest. I looked up at him with a pout. “I know that you’re excited about finally seeing new places but please stay close. That last thing I want is for something bad happening to you. Okay?” He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a few kisses on the top of my head while ignoring my sounds of protest.

“Okay fine! Papa, lemme go!” I whined. He gave me a few more kisses, this time on the cheek before letting go.

“Please don’t go far. That’s all I ask.”

“Fine.” I held out a hand to him and he smiled. “Will this do instead?”

“Yes. This will work just fine.” He took my hand and together we went inside the restaurant. From the moment we stepped inside I was hit with strong, intense smells. I couldn’t tell what most of them were but I did recognize the smell of hamburgers! I was so excited that I was practically jumping up and down. Papa smiled at this and took me over to the counter. There were a few people in line already as it was getting close to lunchtime but it wasn’t that bad. “Order whatever you want. Go crazy.”

“Really? Do you mean it? Anything at all?” I looked up at him in surprise. He was never this lenient before. Was this him trying to help me get past Zaza’s death or something? Or was this guilt for keeping me in the forest my whole life?

“Well, not the _entire_ menu.” He chuckled. “You can have a combo or just the burger. Whatever you know you can eat, you can order.”

“Thanks Papa!” As we waited in line, I looked at the menu. There were so many options! When it was our turn I squeezed Papa’s hand. I thought I would be able to order but I got super nervous when standing before the cashier. Papa picked up on this and ordered first then turned to me.

“So what do you want babe?” I was so nervous that I whispered my order to him then he turned and repeated it to the cashier. “Double cheeseburger, medium fries, and a large chocolate milkshake.”

The cashier nodded and typed in our order. “Is that all?”

“I believe so.” He turned to me to make sure that was all I wanted and when I nodded he turned back to the cashier and nodded to her. “Yes, that’s all.”

“Great.” She responded. “For here or to go?”

“For here.”

“Great.” She typed in the machine then set it up so Papa could pay. All while he did that, I clung to him like a baby gorilla would to their mother. I got some strange looks from some of the older people in line but did my best to ignore it. They probably thought I was a spoiled brat who greatly depended on her dad but that wasn’t the case. Yeah, I depended on him but only because of my lack of experience in this world. Everything was foreign to me.

I clung to him until we got our food. I let go so I could grab my tray then I rushed over to a booth at the back of the restaurant. There weren’t a lot of people here so the surrounding seats were all empty. At least we would get some privacy here... Papa didn’t question the speed in which I took off. He quietly followed me to the booth with his food and sat across from me. He didn’t give me a strange look or anything unlike everyone else who had noticed my speed... I didn’t like it. I hated the looks from these strangers. They looked at me like I was weird and that something was wrong with me. Did they give every teenager this look? Or was it just me? Could they tell that I was “different”?

I took my food out of the wrapping and started eating. I kept my head down and stared at the table. Papa was now starting to notice my odd behaviour and a few times I could tell he wanted to say something but he didn’t. He just ate his food in silence. I felt his eyes on me a few times while I ate but I ignored it. He was just worried but he didn’t have to be. I was fine.

A few minutes after the people who gave me funny looks left, Papa finally asked me about my obvious uneasiness. “Baby girl, what’s wrong? You’re acting a bit different.”

“It’s nothing...” I lied. He didn’t seem satisfied with my response.

“I can tell when you’re lying.” He said flatly. “You don’t do a very good job at hiding it. Is there a reason you can’t or won’t tell me?”

“Well not really... Wait, no... That’s a lie...” I set my food down on my tray and slowly looked up at him and he did the same. “I... I just don’t want to bother you with something so minor. You have enough on your plate already and you don’t need me whining about every little thing...”

“Feronia...” He reached across the table and held out his hands. I lifted mine up from my lap and placed them on his. His long, rough fingers curled around my small, delicate hands and gave them a gentle squeeze. “Whatever it is that’s bothering you, you can tell me. I’m your father after all. I may be going through a hard time after what happened but that doesn’t mean you need to lock away your feelings for my sake. Your mental health and wellbeing is way more important than mine. Whatever is on your mind, I want you to tell me so I can help you work through it.”

“Papa, it’s really nothing... I don’t want to seem like I’m complaining or anything...”

“If it’s enough to bother you to the point where I notice then it’s more than a small complaint.”

I sighed in defeat. He wasn’t going to drop this no matter what. I might as well come clean. “Well... Those people who were in here earlier... They gave me strange looks and their auras... The only word I can use to describe it was disgust... They were disgusted with me and did not try to hide it at all...”

“Why do you think they were disgusted with you?”

“They saw how nervous I was and how I was holding on to your arm. Like some little kid too dependent on their parent or something…”

“Well you know, back when they were growing up, that kind of behavior wouldn’t have been acceptable, _especially_ in public.” This intrigued me so I looked up at him. “The world has changed since they were kids. There’s nothing wrong with being dependent or close to a parent. In your case even more so but they don’t know our past. Of course, they will make assumptions but you shouldn’t let it bother you. Everyone will have opinions on something. You can’t stop them but at least you will know the truth. Try not to let them bother you. They aren’t important and we will never see them again.”

“I know but it was still upsetting…”

“Yeah it will be but you can’t let it bother you.” He gave my hands a gentle squeeze before bringing them up to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on my knuckles. I smiled at the gesture and gave his hands a squeeze too. When he lowered his hands I looked down at them before pulling mine away. His were covered in scars from years of ‘hard work’ which were caused by victims who had fought back. “What they were thinking about you doesn’t matter at all. You are different from how they see you. I am sure Zaza had this issue when they were your age as I always knew they were different from others our age but they wouldn’t have let their feelings stop them. Do you know what they would do?”

“Either stand up for themselves or walk away all smug, knowing that they are better than those people...”

He chuckled, let go of my hands and took a sip of his drink. “Yeah. Now, you don’t have to stand up for yourself if you don’t think you can handle it and in some situations, it's best if you just walk away but don’t ever let other people’s opinion’s get the best of you. Alright?”

“Right... Yeah... Thanks Papa.” I smiled. He gave me his usual playful wink and we both laughed. I was already feeling better. “Papa?”

“Hmm?”

“How come you are so good at making me feel better?”

“It’s my job as your father. It’s my duty to make you smile.”

“Yeah but you are so good at it.”

“Yeah but how long have I been your father? Fifteen years. I’ve gotten loads of practice.” He had another tic and when it was over, he went back to eating. I picked up my burger and finished it, now in a better mood. When the burger was done I took a few big sips of my milkshake then reached for my fries. When I did, my hand bumped into Papa’s and I smacked it out of the way.

“Hey! My fries!”

“I paid for them!” Papa laughed. He tried reaching for them again but I pulled them away before he could get to them. “Hey!”

“They’re still mine,” I smirked at him and he pouted. Papa was such a child.

“Why is my daughter so mean to me? My own flesh and blood!” He slumped in his seat with his arms crossed across his chest. I laughed but that statement bothered me. I wasn’t his flesh and blood... _Yes_ , he was my father but we weren’t related by blood... Biologically, Jeff was my father... _Jeff_... The man who killed my Zaza... The man who tore my family apart and forced Papa and me to pack up and run... My laughter faded fairly quickly because of that thought but I hid it by drinking my milkshake. Papa didn’t suspect anything and remained slouched in his seat. “This is so not fair...”

“Aren’t you the one who once told me that life wasn’t fair when you stole some of my snacks?”

“ _Touché_...” I giggled and continued eating my fries. “Devil child...”

“Don’t be so upset Papa.” I slid my milkshake over to his side of the table and he perked up. “You can have a big sip of my milkshake.”

“Thanks babe!” He had a big goofy smile on his face, sat up and drank from the cup. I rolled my eyes and ate the last of my fries. He forgot about them and enjoyed my milkshake. It was a good thing I had asked for a large because I knew he was going to drink at least half of it.

“Hey Papa?”

“Yeah?”

“What was it like for you when you found out that Zaza was pregnant with me? Did you ever want to be a father?” This made him pause. He was silent for a while as he thought about how he was going to respond.

“Well, when we first met, neither of us knew about the pregnancy.” He cleared his throat. “About _you_. I was in the dark for the longest time. They found out about a week after we settled down but didn’t tell me.”

“Why not? Why would they keep something that big a secret?”

“You have to remember that we were still getting to know each other at the time. When I grew suspicious about their mood swings and obviously growing belly, I confronted them and they told me they were embarrassed and scared.”

“What? Why?” I was interested now and my ears were wide open.

“Well, the father,” he paused. He looked uncomfortable and looked out the window. “ _Jeff_ ... was out of the picture. There was no boyfriend. They were a single parent and we were just starting to get to know each other. They didn’t know how I was going to react. A pregnancy is a big deal. A baby. A little, precious life that you will be responsible for.” He cleared his throat and refused to look at me. He was getting emotional thinking about Zaza. I could see that he was trying to hold back tears. His voice gave it away. With each new word, his voice grew more and more shaky.

“So how did you react...? _Obviously_ , you took it well as you are my Papa...”

He chuckled. “Yes... I am...” From the way he said it, it sounded more like he was reassuring himself rather than talking to me. He must have been telling himself that even though Jeff helped created me, it didn’t make him my dad. I couldn’t imagine how distressing it must have been for him to come face to face with the man who shared my DNA... “Well, I was a bit upset that Lou kept such a big thing from me for so long. I only found out about you when they were about four months along. I saw them flinch when I reacted to the news. They later confessed they were afraid I might hit them. Since Jeff had hurt them on multiple occasions, I wasn’t surprised that they thought that.”

“But you didn’t hit them, did you..?”

“No. No, of _course_ not. I would _never_ hit them. Not then, and not _ever_.” I was relieved to know that even back then, Papa was still the same as he is now. “I saw the fear in their eyes so I sat back down and asked why they reacted that way. They told me about their past and that’s when I reassured them that I would never, ever hurt them.”

“And you kept your promise.”

“Yeah... I did... They burst into tears when I hugged them. After being so afraid of Jeff, to the point where they ran away, they feared that I might have been like him.”

“But they traveled with you halfway across the country. Why would they do that if they were afraid of you?” This was a lot of information to process. My head felt like it was spinning.

“Well, they only let me join them just so they would have backup. I’m not even sure why they agreed to it. Zaza was a mystery and I love a good mystery.” We laughed at this. At least there were some laughs when we talked about Zaza and not total sadness. He had another tic then continued. “After that emotional mess one could say, I started doing everything I could to prepare for your arrival. I went out and got more than enough money to buy everything a baby could ever need. I bought clothes, diapers, toys, blankets, car seat, you name it. What really got Zaza emotional and what helped us become an official couple was the stroller I brought home one day.”

“A stroller helped you hook up with Zaza?” I almost laughed out loud at that. That seemed too stupid to be true. “Are you sure that’s what happened or is this just another one of your silly stories?”

“I _swear_ to you, I am telling the truth. I brought it home and they just lost it. They pulled me in and kissed me. I was so shocked I didn’t even know how to respond. I wasn’t sure if I should kiss back or not but when they didn’t pull back right away, I returned the kiss. I wrapped my arms around them and kissed back.”

“Okay, okay, no need to go into detail!” Papa laughed.

“Sorry. Well anyway, yeah, we kissed. They were so overwhelmed with emotion from the pregnancy that they couldn’t hold back. I enjoyed it and when they pulled away they got all flustered. Their whole face turned a bright red and they couldn’t even look at me. It was so cute.”

“That sounds like Zaza.” I smiled as I remembered Zaza. That’s exactly how they reacted whenever Papa kissed them and it didn’t have to be on the lips. If he just kissed their cheek they got super red. That is why they made me believe that true love does exist because no matter how much time had passed, they still acted like high school students in love and exploring a new relationship.

 

_They did..._

_But not anymore..._

 


	14. Chapter 14

We finished up our food, got up, threw out the trash then left. Papa got in the driver’s seat while I hopped in the back. It was fun being in the front seat but in the back, I had room to stretch out and even lie down if I wanted to. “You’re sitting back there?” Papa asked as he buckled his seat belt.

“Yeah, why?”

“Well, I’m going to be lonely up here.”

“You’ll live.” Papa gasped and put a hand on his chest, over his heart. He was acting like a woman from the 1800s who just heard the word _sex_. Such a scandal!

“So cruel!” I rolled my eyes and got settled in the car. When I was comfy, Papa started the truck and off we went. I wished we could have stayed in the area and went shopping but we had to get going. Maybe before we arrived at Kingston we would have a chance to go to a mall or something.

I opened my bag and pulled out the tablet. It was still on pretty much full battery. I unlocked it and went back to the video app. I opened it and scrolled through the list of videos Zaza had downloaded on it. All of those news clips. I hadn’t gotten the chance to look at all of them so I thought I’d do it now. I didn’t have much else to do until we arrived at our next destination which would be a place for us to eat and fill up on gas.

I clicked on the video after the last one I watched. This clip was different from the others I had seen. It was a news clip and it was about Zaza but it didn’t talk about their disappearance.

 

“ _It has been ten years to the day since Lou Schumacher has gone missing. Police say there have been no new leads in the case and one has even commented saying he feels like Lou is no longer with us. After all this time, and the clues that were left behind in her room, there is reason to believe that she has either been killed or killed herself somewhere in the woods._

 _For this reason, on the tenth anniversary of her disappearance, she has been pronounced legally dead._ ”

 

“Really?” Came Papa’s voice from the front seat. I paused the video so he could speak and I wouldn’t miss anything and have to go back. “They pronounce Zaza dead on the tenth anniversary of their disappearance?”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“I mean, that’s kinda bad timing.” He shrugged. “On the tenth year, to the day. Couldn’t they have done it on another day? Their family must be utterly devastated then you add that on top of it. I can’t imagine what their parents must have gone through...”

“Yeah...” I looked down at the tablet and it showed the image of the reporter looking at the camera and behind them looked to be a park that led to a forest area. When I was sure Papa was done talking, I pressed play.

 

“ _Behind me, you can see there is a park. This is the only park in Kingston and everyone who was close to Lou say this is where she liked to hang out at. She would be here every day after school and some people recall seeing her come here at around midnight._ ”

 

Midnight? That was a bit late. Did they go there to plan their next kill? Who knows.

 

“ _One person who has seen her claimed that she met up with a mysterious young man. They once said that the two would sit and chat at that big rock for over an hour. They don’t know who the man is and never got a good look at his face. The only thing they could see was that he was wearing dark pants and a white sweater. Police have tried looking into who this mysterious young man is but so far, no luck._

 _Lou’s parents have said this was not possible as their daughter had never left the house after sunset but it appears that they didn’t really know their daughter. This makes some people wonder, what else was she keeping a secret?_ ”

 

I dunno. Maybe the fact that Zaza was a _killer_? That they knew a killer. If Zaza’s parents only knew who their child really was... I wonder how they would react if I told them who I was and what really happened to their child. Would they freak out? Deny my claims? Or would they accept me into the family with open arms? I really wanted to find out but that would piss off Papa...

That video had ended so I clicked on the next one. This one was news footage of the memorial for Zaza. It started off with footage of people gathering at the park where Zaza used to hang out. It seemed like the whole town was there and there was just enough room for everyone to crowd around. They were all in a big circle and in the middle was a small tree that looked to be freshly planted and in the dirt that surrounded it was cheap plastic flags. When the camera got a better angle I could see that these were gay pride flags.

Zaza was never shy about expressing their sexuality but they weren’t gay. They were bisexual but maybe they didn’t come totally clean in their town. Maybe it was easier for them to say they were gay instead of bi. Bisexuals tend to get more shit than gays, especially in the queer community itself. It was bullshit. I remember seeing a movie that covered this exact topic and I thought it was total bullshit. Why, oh why, if you are part of the LGBTQ+ community, why would you harass someone else in the same community? That makes you no better than homophobic people. You want nothing more than to see your sexuality represented and to stop the harassment but turn around and become then harass to another sexuality?

The fear of being harassed for being bisexual must have been what forced Zaza to hide their true sexuality. I felt bad for them but when they still lived in Kingston, the year would have been 2003. That would not have been a good time for anyone in the LGBTQ+ community.

I paused the video before the reporter could start speaking and looked up at Papa. “Hey Papa, did Zaza ever tell you if they were open with their sexuality back at home?”

“Umm, I think they were pretty reserved. Why do you ask?”

“In this news clip from Zaza’s memorial, it’s showing people put gay pride flags in the dirt surrounding the tree planted in their memory.”

“Gay pride flags? Well maybe they were open a bit, but I can only see them being honest with their family. I don’t see them advertising it to the world.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

“Their secret must have come out after they left,” Papa suggested. “It must not have been a big issue in the small town if they put pride flags around the tree in their memory.”

“Well no one can say shit about the ‘girl’ who vanished and all that was left was a pool of blood in ‘her’ room.”

“Wait? Blood?” If we weren’t on a highway I was sure Papa would have slammed down on the breaks.

“Yeah. I saw the articles and news reports and they said that there was blood all over Zaza’s bed. Did Zaza have any large scars that you noticed?”

“Well yeah, they are covered in them.”

My eyes went wide. “Seriously?! How many?”

“Too many to count. Some I remember them receiving but others they had received before we met. They just said they came from victims.”

“Was there was that stood out to you?”

“Well, there was one on their arm that looked particularly odd to me,” Papa said. I could see his face in the rear view mirror and he looked like he was deep in thought as he remembered Zaza’s scars but was also trying to focus on the road.

“How odd is odd?”

“Well, unlike the other scars, this one was very clean and looked like it had been stitched up. It was a very straight line and it was faded which suggests it healed quickly. I never asked about it but I was always suspicious about it. If they got it during a murder then they wouldn’t have gone to the hospital to get treated and it was too clean to have been an accident. My only guess is they needed surgery there for one reason or another.”

“Since they ran away, do you think they injured themselves to stage a kidnapping?”

“That doesn’t sound like something Zaza would have done but I guess it depends on how desperate they were.”

“I wish we knew the truth...”

“Yeah, if Zaza were still around I would be cornering them and bombarding them with questions. Now I’m curious about their past.”

“Of course, if they were here they wouldn’t say anything.” I saw Papa smirk as he knew what I was about to say.

“The past isn’t important. What’s important is our future which we will build together.” We said together. That is what Zaza always said when we asked about their past.

“What else is in that clip?”

“Hang on.” I turned my attention back to the tablet and pressed play.

The video resumed in showing the park and the gathering. It showed a close up of the tree then the flags planted in the dirt. It then switched to close-ups of a couple who appeared to be in their late forties. They were both in tears. The man had light brown hair that was the same shade as Zaza’s and a light beard while the woman had the most beautiful red hair I had ever seen. I could clearly see that it was naturally red and it was very bright. Her hair fell in light waves around her circle face that was very similar to Zaza’s. These two people had to be Zaza’s parents.

 

_My grandparents._

 

My heart ached for them. My grandfather looked stoic but had tears running down his strong, thin cheeks. He had his arms around my grandmother who was a mess. She was weeping hysterically. She looked like she was barely able to stand up on her own. It was as if my grandfather was the only thing that was keeping her from falling to the ground.

The camera stayed on them long enough for me to notice a young boy standing beside them. He had to have been under ten years old and he looked like an exact clone of my grandfather. Was this Zaza’s brother? They never mentioned a brother but then again they didn’t mention anything about their past and if he really was under ten then he would have been born after they left. Was Zaza ever aware of their brother? If they saw this video then maybe.

The camera cut to a little platform and on it was a podium with some microphones mounted on it. A woman walked up to it and everyone went silent and looked at her. She looked serious but there was a hint of sadness behind her eyes. She did a good job at containing her emotions. “ _Thank you to everyone who has shown up today._ ” She said in a flat voice. “ _As you know, today is not easy for any of us. For the Schumacher family, it is devastating._ ”

“Babe, can you turn that up? I want to listen too.”

“Sure thing Papa.” I turned up the volume to as loud as it could go and we listened to the rest of the speech.

The video cut back to my grieving grandparents. My grandmother had stopped weeping but tears still kept coming down her pale cheeks. She and my grandfather were looking up at the woman who was now speaking. “ _Losing a child is not easy but to not know what became of them is an unimaginable type of pain. A pain that Friedrich and Ciara, unfortunately, know all too well._ ” The woman took a pause and looked at my grandparents. She gave them a slight nod and a sad smile spread across her face before she turned back to the crowd. “ _Today we gather here to remember their daughter, Lou. Many of you will remember this smart, beautiful and lively young girl. She was barely a young woman when she was taken from us. She had barely lived. She had not been able to experience things many of us had such as first relationships or heartbreak. She didn’t even have the opportunity to go off to college. She has been robbed of many milestones in life and her parents have been robbed of a child. A child whom they loved and wanted nothing more than to protect from the dangers of this world but unfortunately, they couldn’t. As many of you may remember, young Lou Schumacher had been taken from us ten years ago to the day. She was taken from the safety of her bedroom and to this day, no new clues have been found that could point detectives in the direction of her whereabouts._

_For the past ten years, we have been hopeful and prayed that soon, new evidence will be uncovered but over the years, it became less and less likely. On the behalf of the Schumacher family, I want to thank everyone who has worked hard on Lou’s case. All of you have worked long, countless hours to try and find this young woman. Your work has not gone unnoticed by us but unfortunately, there is not much more you can do unless the kidnapper comes forth. As hard as it might be, after all these long years of hard work, Lou Schumacher’s case has been officially closed. As of this date, Lou Schumacher has been pronounced legally dead._

_I know many of you don’t want to hear this. Maybe you are hoping that she is still out there, and maybe she is, but there has been no indication that she is alive. While there is nobody or proof of death, it is safe to assume she has been killed and put to rest in an unknown grave. It is painful for us to think of that beautiful young woman, buried in the ground without so much as a grave marker, taken from this world way too soon. While there is nothing we can do for this, there is something we can do to help her move on and to help bring us some peace of mind._ ”

The video cut to the tree that had been planted. The small leaves on its branches were dancing in the wind.

“ _On the tenth anniversary of Lou’s disappearance, we the town have planted a tree to honour her. This tree will represent her grave in hopes to give us and her family, some peace of mind and a place to bring flowers and to mourn. It is different than a grave and knowing where the body is but it is better than not having a place to go to at all. This tree will grow and represent the life that was taken far too soon. When you see this tree, you will see Lou’s spirit. When you look at this tree, you are looking at Lou. She will always be with us in spirit. Thank you._ ” She walked down from the platform and everyone clapped but it wasn’t cheerful. It was muted. Everyone was grateful for what the town had done for Lou but all too depressed to really celebrate. And that was where the video ended.

“Is that it?” Papa asked after a good four minutes of silence. Both of us were trying to process all of this.

“Yeah...” I replied. “Oh and Papa, I think Zaza has a brother.”

“Good God, there is so much I don’t even know about them... How old is he?”

“He has to have been under ten when this was taken which was in 2013 so he would be maybe early teens now.”

“So do you think Zaza would have known about him?”

“That’s what I was thinking. I doubt they would have met him but because they downloaded this video they must have seen him. It was only for a few seconds but I could see him and he looks just like my grandfather. _Their father_.”

“I wonder what life would have been like if Zaza had stayed in their hometown.”

“Honestly, I have thought about that too,” I admitted. “If they managed to keep their killer side a secret then I would have been able to live a normal life but that would also mean that they would never have met you and you wouldn’t have been my Papa. I don’t want to imagine a life without you. Even if I did grow up like a normal kid, life wouldn’t be the same. You are the best and I’m thankful every day that you are my Papa.” I leaned forward in my seat and managed to kiss his cheek and I could see in his eyes that tears were beginning to form.

“Oh shut up...” He sniffed. “You’re going to make me cry.”

“Well it’s the truth. If I had the choice to pick to go back in time and live a normal life I wouldn’t take it if it meant you wouldn’t be my Papa.”

“Babe please, if you keep this up I will be crying too much to see the road.” He lifted one hand from the steering wheel and wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his sweater.

“Weren’t you the one who said it was better to always tell the truth?” I smirked.

“Oh my God, you are an evil child!”

“That’s why Zaza calls me Teufelchen!” We both laughed and continued on with our trip. It felt like it took forever to get to our next stop but I had many books to help pass the time and before I knew it, we arrived at Arrow Head Travel Plaza.


	15. Chapter 15

Papa pulled the truck into the parking lot and went right to the gas pump. The tank wasn’t completely empty but we might as well fill it up when we had the chance. It was better than running out of gas in the middle of the road. He turned off the vehicle and grabbed his wallet. “You can stay here while I fill up the tank.” He said as he unbuckled his seatbelt and looked at me in the rearview mirror. “After I park we can head inside for some food and shop for anything you might need. Is your period coming up?”

“Papa!” I exclaimed and held the book I was currently reading up to my chest. My face burned up almost immediately and I could see in the mirror that I was as red as a tomato.

“What?” He looked confused upon seeing my reaction.

“What do you mean, ‘ _what’_?”

“It’s a simple question.”

“Yeah but a very _personal_ one!” Up until this point, the only person who I had discussed these things with was Zaza. Not once had Papa ever been involved in any of these conversations so this was completely out of the blue and extremely awkward for me.

“Sure it’s personal but it’s something that most people who have a uterus experience and there’s nothing wrong with it. No need for such embarrassment. Do you think I went all this time oblivious to what happens during a period? I have seen Zaza go through it every month after the pregnancy and had to fetch supplies for them. I am by no means embarrassed or reluctant to talk about it.”

“It’s just weird to talk about girl problems with my Papa alright!”

“Zaza isn’t a girl yet you could talk to them about it.” Papa pointed out. My eyes narrowed and I let out a small huff.

“Okay, fine, uterus problems!” I said after a few seconds. “You don’t have one so it just feels weird discussing this with you...”

“Fair enough but just know, you can talk to me about anything, even if it might be awkward.”

“I know...” I slouched in my seat and sighed.

“We can make up a code for it if that makes you more comfortable.”

“Oh? And what would that be?”

He thought about it for a moment then a smirk appeared on his face. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad so I braced myself for what he was about to say. “Well you and Zaza always took a liking to dragons so maybe we can call it ‘the red dragon’.”

“That sounds so cool!”

“So should we go with that instead? You can say that The Red Dragon is here and for cravings, the red dragon is in need of sustenance.” I was the first to laugh and he joined in shortly after.

“I love it! The Red Dragon hungers! It demands chocolate right now or someone is gonna die!”

“Then I will venture out and purchase a sacrifice for The Red Dragon so that it may spare my life!” My sides were hurting by this point and the truck was full of our laughter. When Papa had calmed down he got out and went to fill up the tank while I stayed put in my seat. He was the best.

After a few minutes, Papa returned and drove the truck into an empty parking space. Well, two as we had the RV attached to the back. Luckily for us, this place was mostly empty and not many people stayed for more than an hour. When the truck was parked I got my things and we went inside the building. To our left was a McDonald’s but I wasn’t interested in that or the mini store that was also in the building. What caught my eye was the four large animals, one on my right and three on my left.

“Papa look at these!” I exclaimed and rushed over to the three animals which were three black bears. I quickly took off my bag and rummaged through it until I got out my tablet and opened the camera app then handed it to Papa. “Can you take my picture with these?”

“Of course I will. Anything for my baby girl.” He held up the device and when I was ready he snapped some pictures. Of course, I had to try different positions and one of my favourites was one of me looking scared as I looked up at the bears. “Watch out! They’re gonna get you!”

“No!” I pretended to run away and Papa took a picture. “Will my Papa save me?”

“Of course I will!” He rushed over to me and held up the tablet. He switched the camera to the front facing one and got us in the frame with the bears behind us. He wrapped an arm around my waist and picked me up then took a picture of us appearing as though we were running away. “Papa bear will fight a hundred bears for you.”

“Oh my gosh, Papa stop!” I laughed and wiggled my way out of his arms. “You are so embarrassing!”

“But there’s no one here.” He reached out for me to try and hug me again but I quickly moved out of the way. “Oh come here you!”

“Nope!” I laughed and continued to dodge him. After a few attempts, he stopped and pouted. He acted like a little kid who didn’t get their way.

“You’re so mean to me.”

“Oh my God, Papa! You’re such a kid!”

“That’s what made Zaza fall in love with me.” He winked and I rolled my eyes. “I make life interesting and they loved it.”

“Well you certainly are right about that. You do make life very interesting.”

“It’s my specialty.” We laughed then went to the shop. We thought it was a bit early for dinner and neither of us was particularly hungry so we got some ingredients for food which we would make at a rest stop. “So what do you feel like today?” Papa asked as we walked around the shop.

“Just a simple sandwich. Nothing too fancy.” I shrugged.

“Oh well that’s very helpful.” He responded sarcastically.

“You’re welcome.” I laughed.

“Well if you don’t tell me anything specific then I’m going to buy what I want and you’re going to have to deal with it.”

“Fine with me.”

“This also means no snack food. Either dinner or nothing.”

“Oh come on!”

“Take it or leave it.”

“Okay fine. BLT.”

“There we go. Now we’re getting somewhere.” I rolled my eyes and followed him around the store. He got all of the ingredients we would need and a few extra things like fruits and vegetables. I made a face when he got some carrots, peppers, and cucumbers which he noticed right away. “What’s with the face? They’re good for you.”

“If they’re so healthy then why do they taste like shit?”

“Veggie dip will make them taste much better.”

“You mean worse.”

“Picky girl.” He sighed and got some more ‘healthy’ foods. “At least you don’t complain when I offer fruits...”

“That’s because fruits are tasty! Veggies are not.”

“Says you. Zaza loved veggies and so did you when you were a kid.”

“Veggies and Fruits were literally the only things Zaza ate and I never liked them. I only ate them because it’s all I was offered.”

“Then why do I remember you begging for carrots when you were small?”

“Oh shut up.” I crossed my arms as I accepted my loss and could hear Papa chuckle. I huffed and turned away from him.

“I win.”

“Whatever.”

We finished up our shopping and while he went to pay I went back to the truck. I got in the back seat and opened up a book. Papa arrived not long after and put the grocery bags on the seat next to me. “I also got you some healthy snacks in case you got hungry on the drive.”

“Oh? What are healthy snacks?”

“Fruits mostly. I got your favourite.”

“Yay,” I said sarcastically. “Thanks though.”

“I know you would rather candy but it’s my job as your father to keep you healthy.”

“Yeah I know and you’re doing great.” He smiled, shut the door and got in the driver’s seat. He pulled out a snack he had got himself which was a fruit salad and enjoyed it before we had to leave for the long drive to a rest stop. Neither of us had any clue how far we would have to drive but we assumed it would be a few hours.

Papa finished up his fruit cup then threw the trash in an empty plastic bag. “Hey babe, you got wifi?”

I pulled out the tablet and went to the settings. I checked for the available connections and saw that McDonald’s had the highest at three bars. “Yeah, I got one.”

“Great. Can you look up the nearest rest stop to our location?”

“On it.” I connected to the wifi then opened the map app. I had to turn on the location information and when I did I was able to see where we were on the map. I then typed in ‘rest area’ and pressed search. There weren’t many options that popped up and one of them was of course, Arrow Head, the place where we were at. “So there are a few around here but only one where we can spend the night.”

“How far away is it?”

“Maps says its about a twenty-minute drive from here.”

“That’s not too bad.” He looked down at the clock on the car. “We should get there at around ten after five. We can rest for a bit, make dinner then get some rest. How does that sound?”

“Sounds good.”

“Then off we go.” He turned the key and started the truck. When we were all set he drove out of the parking lot and we went down the road. I looked down the road as we drove but there wasn’t much to look at so my mind wandered to my family. What kind of people were my grandparents? And Zaza’s brother. How much did he know about Zaza? Did my grandparents ever talk about their first child? How was I going to approach them and ask about Zaza? I had to find out a way to do that but also getting away from Papa so I could go up to them. He made it very clear that he didn’t want me revealing ourselves to them but I wanted to. I had to. I wanted to learn everything I could about my family. I had every right to know who I share DNA with.

I was so focused in my thoughts that I barely noticed when Papa turned off the highway on to an exit. When I came back to reality I saw that we were on a quieter road and a sign flashed by us. It read:

 

VIEW POINT

1 MILE

NO RESTROOMS

 

“Papa? Where are we going? The map didn’t say anything about a viewpoint on our way to the rest stop.”

“Yeah I know but I saw a sign a while back mentioning this lookout so I thought it would be cool to stop by and check it out.” He shrugged. “We won’t be coming back here so we might as well do some sightseeing. We still have time before the sun sets so why not?”

“How great can this lookout be?” I asked as I looked out the window. “There’s nothing but snow. That doesn’t make for great scenery.”

“Well I want to find out what this place is like.”

“Fine.” He rolled his eyes and we kept driving. We drove off the main road when we approached a sign that simply read: VIEW POINT with a big arrow pointing us in the right direction. In no time at all, we pulled up to a small parking lot with some spaces for cars and spaces for trucks or cars pulling trailer homes like ours. Papa pulled into one of those spots and turned off the engine.

“Here we are.” Papa unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to me. “This looks like a great place to get some pictures. Wanna grab the tablet and come out with me?”

“Sure.” I didn’t really want to as Papa was the one who wanted to come here but he looked so excited that I couldn’t refuse him. This was a chance for us to do something together as father and daughter and I knew he was doing this to keep our minds off Zaza.

I got the tablet out of my bag and followed Papa out of the truck. When I got out I was able to get a better look at the sight before us. My jaw literally dropped. My lips parted slightly showing a look of awe which Papa was quick to notice. I could hear him chuckle but I ignored it. Before me was a magnificent view! It was like something straight out of a movie!

There was nothing but empty land that went on for miles. If it were summer then the land would have been covered with grass but it was January so there was a layer of thick snow everywhere. Reflecting off the white snow was the golden glow of the setting sun. It was still early in the evening so the big bright star was still full in the sky but it was slowly making its way down and in maybe an hour it would completely vanish and the moon will take its place.

The sight was so beautiful that I felt like I was in a fairytale. It was so appropriate at Papa’s nickname for me was Fairy since I loved them growing up.

“Now this isn’t a sight you see every day,” Papa said before he was hit with another tic. “Aren’t you glad that we stopped off here?”

“Oh totally!” I exclaimed. I never took my eyes off the marvelous sight. “This is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!” I unlocked the tablet and opened up the camera then began snapping away. I took a few pictures of the landscape then to finish it off, one big panorama. After it processed I went to the photo gallery and clicked on it and showed it to Papa.

“Very nice. We should get that printed out at the next town we visit.”

“You think its that good?”

“Oh it’s beautiful.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and kissed the top of my head. “My baby girl is one hell of a photographer.”

“Papa, stop it.” I giggled and shoved him off. He chuckled and pulled up his hood.

“Let’s get some picture from inside that.” He lifted up his arm and pointed to a gazebo looking structure.

“Sure.” The open structure was quite big for such a small rest stop and it had a magnificent view. I went up to the half wall made up of concrete and leaned against it as I took in the sight. Papa came up and stood beside me and he too enjoyed the view.

This was a sight I never thought I would ever be able to see. It reminded me of aerial shots from movies of the countryside or even hilltops. Kinda like The Sound of Music. I sighed as I looked out at the miles of land covered in snow. As great as this was, there was something missing. Something that couldn’t be replaced.

“What’s wrong babe?” Papa had noticed something was up. Did I really look sad? I was trying to hide it but I was never good at that sort of thing. I sighed again and turned my head away from him.

“I’m fine Papa...”

“I know you aren’t...”

“It’s fine...”

“Is it Zaza?” I froze. He was sharp. He must have picked up on my tension. He moved closer to me and rubbed my back. “I know... I wish they could be here to see it too... But you know what? They will always be with us in spirit.”

“I guess...”

“I know it’s not the same... but it’s something...” He continued to rub my back which he did to try and soothe me but it ended up making me sad. I sniffed as I held back my emotions.

“It’s not fair... Why did he have to take Zaza from us..?” I finally got the strength to look up at him and I could see the pain in his eyes. He searched for the right words. He wasn’t sure how to respond but eventually, he did.

“He is a monster... Rules and consequences mean nothing to him... Only he has the answers as to why he killed Zaza...” He turned to face the view and rest his hands on the wall. He took in a deep breath and I could see small tears forming in the corner of his eyes. “We will never know his motives but we can’t let this stop us from living our lives. Zaza would have wanted us to move on despite how difficult it may be.”

“I don’t know if I can... I miss them so much...”

“I know... Me too...” He pulled me into a hug and held on tightly. I felt like I was suffocating but I didn’t care. I needed this. I hugged back and even though I felt sad, I didn’t cry. My body had done enough crying for a lifetime. Papa, on the other hand, had tears streaming down his face. We stood there holding each other until Papa had calmed down. He wiped the tears from his face and straightened himself out. He had a tic then cleared his throat. “Well, I think that’s enough of that. Let’s get going.”

“Right.” I took a few final pictures of the view then we headed back to the truck. The sun was already starting to vanish and the air was growing colder. I had a feeling this night was going to be one of the coldest yet.

We got in the truck and off we went.


	16. Chapter 16

The trip to Kingston was way longer than I had expected. If Papa had taken more time to drive then we might have cut a whole day off but he insisted on frequent breaks so we wouldn’t be all cramped in the truck. I was so excited that I wouldn’t have minded longer driving time which I told him but no. He insisted we take a minimum of three breaks a day, one for each meal but on top of that we also took on break in between. It was frustrating but what could I do about it?

After almost nine full days we finally reached our destination. We drove down a very long road that had a farm every now and then. This was definitely deep in the country, far away from a big city. Halloween must be quite the workout here. I always wanted to go trick or treating but, of course, that was impossible. Not only because we lived in the middle of a forest but because we had to minimize the number of people who saw us. If one of us slipped up, we didn’t want to be recognized because it would take just one person to talk to the police and let them know we ran off into the forest. It wouldn’t have been long after for law enforcement to track us down and who knows what would have happened if that were to occur… Luckily we didn’t have to worry about it and now Papa and I were starting a new life… A new life without Zaza… It was going to be hard but I knew we could do it. We had to. Zaza would have wanted us to move on.

As we went down the quiet road, the small farms transformed into regular homes. They were still a distance away from each other but in no time at all, they grew closer and closer until there was barely any space left in between them. It wouldn’t be long now until we arrived in Kingston. I was so excited that I was almost bouncing up and down. It almost felt like I couldn’t breathe. Soon we would arrive in Zaza’s hometown. I wondered how small it was. I only got a very small look from the news clips. I could hardly wait to see it for myself.

While I watched the small homes go by I could hear Papa chuckle so I turned to face him with an eyebrow raised. I was about to ask him what was so funny but he spoke up the moment I began to turn. “You remind me of Zaza when we arrived in Oregon.”

“Oh? And how’s that?”

“Well, it was my turn to drive so they were looking out the window and watched every little thing that we passed. They had never been outside of their town before they ran away so each new place we went to was a big deal for them. Since I came from a big city, it was a nice change of pace but I wasn’t fascinated by the towns. I had seen more of the world than they had.”

“What was it like for you moving from a big city to the woods?”

“Interesting I guess.” He shrugged. “I didn’t have any strong feelings about it the way Zaza did. They thought of it as some amazing adventure like the ones in their fantasy movies but to me, it wasn’t that big of a deal. I just wanted to get away from my hometown and start a new life. I liked the idea of living in the woods as it was much quieter and cleaner than living in a big city.”

“Don’t you miss your home? What about your family?” I saw him tense and before he could respond he had a tic. He slowed the car down when it started so he had more control and when it passed, he sped up again. I waited for his answer but he waited for a long time before attempting to say anything and when he did, it wasn’t the answer I was hoping for.

“I never really thought about my home after leaving…” I desperately wanted to ask him more questions and see if I could get anything more out of him but I could tell this wasn’t an easy topic for him. What happened to him back home that was hard to talk about? Was he in a similar situation as Zaza? Was he in danger too? Did he kill his family or someone close to him? That was doubtful as he loves his family but this was a while ago. People change over time. I had so many questions for him now but knew I probably wouldn’t get any direct answers so I chose to drop the subject.

That was the end of our conversation so I turned to look back out the window. I watched as we passed a few small stores and I could tell we were getting close. After these couple of stores came some more homes. We had to be so close now and I was right. Just as we were approaching a flower store we passed a sign that read: BOROUGH OF KINGSTON.

“We finally made it!” I exclaimed when I saw the sign. I sat up in my seat and pressed my face against the window as we continued down the road. “Hey Papa, there’s an ice cream store up ahead. Can we stop there?”

“Nice try.” I looked back at him and pouted. He laughed when he saw my face and had a huge smirk on his face. “We won’t be eating any sweets until we eat some real food.”

“Yeah but we’re all out of _‘real’_ food and I’m hungry...”

“We’ll stop off at a store and pick up some things.”

“But... Ice cream...”

“After we eat some real food we can go get some ice cream.” I crossed my arms and slouched in the leather seat. The smirk on Papa’s face never once faded. He was enjoying my suffering. I knew it. He chuckled once more and focused on the road.

The stores stopped and we passed by a small area of forest. This little area of trees went on into a large forest that spread behind all of the homes and stores that we had just passed. I wondered if it was the same size as the one we used to live in. I would definitely need to explore it after we got settled down.

“After nine long days, we are finally here,” Papa said as we approached a Dollar General. I rolled my eyes.

“We could have gotten here sooner if you hadn’t insisted on taking so many stops.”

“Yeah but you know that I don’t like being contained in small spaces for very long. I would have gone crazy if we traveled for more than five hours at a time.” That was true. For as long as I could remember Papa never stayed in either the tent or the RV for very long. Even if we marathoned movies he would take breaks in between to go for a jog or something.

“How did you and Zaza, mostly you, survive your trip to Oregon?”

“I thought I was going to go crazy as Lou refused to take breaks unless we were hungry or had to use the bathroom.”

“Zaza was that mean to you?” My eyes widened.

“You have to remember, we weren’t that close at the time. We were just starting to get to know each other back then so why would they do anything I said? They were the one who owned the truck and RV. It wasn’t my place to tell them to stop.” We pulled into the parking lot of the Dollar General and he turned off the engine. “There was quite a bit of complaining throughout the entire trip. When it was their turn to drive I went to sleep so I wouldn’t be that annoying because they would have thrown me to the curb otherwise. I remember when we arrived, Lou got settled down but the first thing I did was go for a nice long run around the forest. It actually took longer than expected because I might have gotten a bit lost...”

I lost it. I burst out laughing. Papa was silent for a bit but soon joined in. When we calmed down I wiped a single tear from the corner of my eye. “Yeah, I can see that happening.”

“And what is that supposed to mean? Me going for a run or me getting lost?”

“ _Both_.”

“You-!” He reached over in the spacious truck and grabbed me by my upper arm. It wasn’t enough to hurt but was enough to get a firm grip on me so he could pull me close. I shrieked as my face was pressed against his chest. He put me in a headlock and gave me the biggest noogie of my life. I tried to fight him off but I was no match for him and he laughed at my many failed escape attempts. “You never seem to learn. How many times do I have to tell you, you can’t escape from me!”

“Yes I will!” Came my muffled voice. I reached up to try and find his face but I couldn’t. He kept laughing. Jerk. He was enjoying this too much. Luckily for me, Papa had a tic. This caused him to loosen his hold on me so I took the opportunity to slip out of his arms and I backed away. I unbuckled my seatbelt and pressed myself against the car door. “You stay back!”

“Darn it! My captive escaped yet again!” He jokingly slammed his fist on the dash and I giggled. “We should head in and get some food. I also want to get some info on the area.”

“Can I perhaps get one small treat?” I was hoping he would give in to my puppy dog eyes but no. He looked unamused and had a flat expression on his face.

“Nice try but you won’t be getting anything until we’ve eaten lunch.”

“You’re so mean...”

“Welp, I’m just being your dad. Can’t help it if that makes me come across as mean.” I stuck out my tongue and before he could put me in another headlock, I opened the door and jumped out of the car. “Hey!” I could hear laughter in Papa’s voice just before I shut the door.

I smiled and when he got out of the truck we both made our way inside the store. It wasn’t that big but for this small town, it was a decent size. I looked around after we entered the and saw so many items. They were mostly cheap snacks or other various things. We wouldn’t be finding ‘real’ food here. I assumed Papa was going to take us to some restaurant later but for now, we were just picking up small items.

Papa and I walked around the shop looking for things. I had no clue what he wanted to get that wasn’t snack food. I found out that he was getting some water bottles, socks, pens, paper, and random things. I let him pick up whatever he needed and made my way over to the candy section. I knew I probably wouldn’t be able to get away with getting any and I had no money for myself but maybe I could convince Papa to buy some for me to ‘eat later’.

The candy was placed near the front of the store where the cash register was. I browsed the selection which was more than I expected for a small town like this. At first, there was no one behind the register but soon a man in his mid to late thirties came from the back of the store and noticed me right away. He gave a polite smile and tipped his baseball cap to me. “Hey there kid. I don’t believe we’ve met before.”

“Oh hello,” I said with a polite smile and approached the counter so we could have a proper conversation. “My name is Feronia and my Papa and I are new to the area.”

“I figured. I would have recognized you if you lived here. In this town, everybody knows everybody.”

“Is this place really that small?”

“Oh yeah. Currently, we have maybe around a thousand and five hundred people?”

“Really?” My eyes went wide. I knew this place was small but I didn’t think it was that small. The town by our forest had more people than this. “This place is smaller than our previous town!”

He chuckled. “Well we are one of the smaller towns in this state which I love.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

“Well, you know everyone pretty well so no one is a stranger. We are all friends here and you can trust everyone.” He cleaned up some items off the counter as he continued speaking. “You said _previous_ town, did you and your pops move here?”

“Well not yet but this might be a good place to settle down I think. We are currently living in our RV and looking for a new place to call home.”

“Ah yes. I saw you guys pull up. That RV looks nice. It looks bigger than any I’ve seen before.”

“Yeah. Papa hates small spaces so he wanted a big one.” The man let out a small laugh.

“I don’t blame him. You can feel cramped up pretty quickly in small spaces. I wouldn’t be able to live out of a trailer home let alone with other people.”

“I mean, it can get a bit cozy but we love each other so we don’t mind.” I shrugged.

“I wish I had that relationship with my two kids but they want nothing to do with me. Teenagers.” I remember seeing in movies and TV how most teens are portrayed by not wanting anything to do with their parents and I never understood that. I’d be sad if I locked myself away in my room and didn’t have any contact with Papa. I know that the change in hormones can make teenagers moody as I am certainly like that but to not want to talk to one's parents... If teens act that way, how would they feel if all of a sudden they lost a parent? It made no sense to me how people could act that way when every moment is precious... The man must have noticed my shift in mood as he grew a concerned look on his face and tilted his head to the side. “Hey, is everything okay?”

“Hmm..? Oh... Yeah... It’s just... Papa and I are traveling because... Well... there was an accident about a week ago and um... Well... I lost my... my mom...” I resisted cringing at that last word. I hated having to call Zaza, _mom_ but I didn’t want to explain to a complete stranger the term and why Zaza wanted to be called that.

When he heard that I could see his expression change. He went from smiling to looking sad. “Oh geez, I’m so sorry to hear that and so recent... And you look to be in your mid-teens. It’s not easy to lose a parent but at your age, it must be especially traumatic.”

 

_Oh if you only knew..._

 

“Yeah... After their death, Papa thought it would be best that we move somewhere new to get a fresh start...” While we are hiding from the very person who took Zaza away from us... “I still miss them though...”

“Yeah... Moving away won’t automatically get rid of the feelings but it is an opportunity to make new memories in a place where you won’t have constant reminders of the loved one. It won’t be easy but I know you can do it. You look like a strong kid. Here, have this.” He leaned down in front of the counter and picked up a chocolate bar then handed it to me. “Take it as a welcome to town gift and a little something to help with the pain. Chocolate always helps me.” He gave me a little wink and friendly smile which helped ease my emotions.

“Thanks.” I took the chocolate bar from him, opened it up and took a bite just as Papa approached the counter.

“Well someone got a little treat.” He had a smile on his face but his aura was sad. He had to have heard our conversation but was putting on a smile to keep the mood light.

“Yeah, you want some?”

“Oh no, I’m fine. You just enjoy.” He placed the items on the counter and the man scanned them while I stood to the side and ate the chocolate bar. I wasn’t sure what else to do while I waited for Papa to finish up so I wondered around. I made my way over to the door but as I approached, something caught my eye. To my right was a little empty space by the window which neither of us had noticed when we entered. I walked over to this little space. Right next to one of the large windows was a small table that looked like it was a memorial shrine. It had little candles all over and there were pictures covering the wall behind the table. I wasn’t too surprised by the shrine as this had to be the place where everyone came to shop so if they lost someone, of course, they would set up a memorial but I was shocked at who it was dedicated to.

 

_All of the pictures were of Zaza..._

 

I looked at the picture placed on the table. It was in a nice frame and looked to be a school photo of them. They looked so happy in the photo. You would never suspect they lived a double life as a killer... I looked up at the wall and took a close look at the pictures hanging up there. They were pictures that were most likely taken for the school yearbook for activities. There were also a few of them as a kid which their parents must have taken and shared.

I was so focused on this memorial that I didn’t even notice Papa come up beside me. I jumped slightly when he spoke. “What is all this?”

“Oh... That...” We both turned to the man who left the counter and walked over to us. “This is a shrine the town made after the girl went missing... Her name was Lou Schumacher and she was just eighteen at the time... She went missing fifteen years ago and no one has any idea of what happened... Her poor family... Her mother never recovered and her health has been steadily going downhill ever since...”

“She hasn’t gotten any better? Not at all?”

“Not really. She is physically healthy now but mentally... When Lou vanished it took a toll on her. The poor woman has to see a therapist almost every day just to make it through the week. It might not have been this bad if we just knew what happened but there are no clues. In an effort to sort of help the town declared Lou officially dead five years ago. They thought it would be better for the family instead of them going on thinking she might still be alive and being held captive or something.”

“The poor woman...” Papa said. The cashier couldn’t pick up on this but Papa and I were trying our best not to say anything. We both knew the truth but for the safety of others, we had to keep our mouths shut. Maybe coming here wasn’t the best idea as I could easily slip up and tell my grandparents. It was bound to happen sooner or later and then I would have to deal with a very angry Papa...

I felt like the cashier was going to say something else but he didn’t get the chance as the door opened up. We turned to see a young boy who looked to be maybe twelve or thirteen years old. I had never met him before but I knew who he was. He was Zaza’s younger brother... I held back my shocked reaction as he walked passed us. He turned to the cashier and waved. “Hey Steve.”

“Hey Jr.” The cashier, now known as Steve replied to the kid. “Is your mother all out of supplies?”

“No, not yet but she’s on the last little bit. Is there any more in stock?”

“I’m sorry but not at the moment. I have a truck coming in hopefully later today so when I get the supplies I’ll have someone drop them off at your place.”

“Thanks.” Jr went to the back of the store to get whatever it was he was here for while Papa and I looked at each other. He had seen the video of the tenth anniversary of Zaza’s death at a rest spot a few days ago so he too recognized the kid.

“Well we should get going.” He said suddenly.

“Oh right. Say, your daughter here said you are living out of your RV. I figured I should let you know that there aren’t really any places for you to park but if you’re staying for a few days then you are more than welcome to park right behind the shop. There is more than enough room and you can stay until you figure out your next step.”

“Oh geez, thank you so much.” Papa was almost breathless and looked quite relieved. Now we wouldn’t have to worry about a place to stay. “Are you sure that won’t be a problem?”

“Oh of course not. I am the owner so I make the rules around here and in this community we help others. Back there you two will have privacy as the forest is right behind us and there aren’t any hiking trails nearby so you won’t have people coming or going.”

“I can’t thank you enough.” He reached out and shook Steve’s hand who shook back very enthusiastically.

“It is no problem. I’m always happy to help. Feel free to come to me if you have any questions about the town. I know everything.”

“Oh well you can count on it but first we will get settled.”

“I’ll be here.”

We said goodbye then left with our things. Papa got in the truck and drove it to the back while I walked. It wasn’t very far so I didn’t see the point in joining him for literally a one minute ride. He drove the truck and RV to the back of the building and parked in a spot where we wouldn’t interfere with trucks dropping off supplies. The spot was perfect as there was nothing but forest on all sides except on one side and there stood the building. It was very private and would work out perfectly for us. I was so excited to start anew in this small town. I was loving it so far and couldn’t wait to see what else awaited us.


	17. Chapter 17

After Papa set up the RV, we both went inside and I went straight to my room. I plugged in the tablet that was almost out of battery then began to unpack my bag. We had picked up quite a few souvenirs from the trip which for me, were mostly gemstones and crystals that we picked up from little trinket shops. I loved them but I did have to be careful when picking them out because certain ones could really mess with my ability to sense auras. Some of them could even interfere with my aura.

I placed all of the stones and crystals on the dresser and arranged them by color. I wanted to make a little rainbow and I had more than enough to make it work. I even had a rainbow coloured stone which I made the little centerpiece. It was perfect. When I was satisfied I left my room and went to find Papa. He was in the kitchen going through the little food we had to see if we could make lunch. He would have preferred that over going out to eat but it looked like we didn’t have much in the way of food. I didn’t think we even had enough for one meal. We were definitely going to have to go out to eat for lunch then go food shopping.

“Hey Papa,” I said as I approached him.

“Oh hey.” He looked at me for a split second then went back to looking through the cupboards. “It’s almost lunchtime and since we have very little food at the moment I was thinking of finding a place to eat. There is probably only family-run restaurants in this small town but those have good food. It’s better than fast food. That sound good to you?”

“Yep!”

“Great. Let’s go talk to Steve about some good places to eat.” He closed the cupboard door then followed me outside. He locked the door behind him and off we went around to the front of the store where we found Steve stocking shelves. “Hey Steve.”

“Oh hey guys. You looking for directions to somewhere?”

“Yeah we are, how did you know?”

“Well you already came in here and bought some things so you can’t be back for more. I’m assuming you’ve settled down and now are starving for some good food.” He placed the last items in his hands on the shelf then turned to us so he could give us his full attention.

“Since you are the expert of this town, which place do you recommend for us?”

“Oh there are lots of good places but one I think you, more _specifically_ your daughter might like it just down the street from here on your right. It’s run by my sister who is a fabulous cook and they are serving brunch right now. The restaurant have pancakes, waffles, muffins, cinnamon buns, you name it.”

“ _Really?_ ” I explained. Papa and Steve took one look at my reaction and began to chuckle.

“You certainly know what this one likes.” Papa pulled me into a one arm hug and kissed the top of my head. It was a bit embarrassing as I wasn’t a little kid anymore but I was too excited about this restaurant to fight him about it.

“Well, I have two kids myself. I know they like. Look for the restaurant that is named Susan’s Delight.”

“Alright, thanks a lot.”

“Anytime.”

We left the store and made our way to the restaurant. It was a short walk as I expected from this small town. Nothing was too far away. I did my best to walk like a normal human being and not skip the whole way over. All of the foods Steve mentioned were just a few of my favourites because they were so sweet!

When the restaurant was only a few stores down I ran ahead of Papa and made it before him. When I turned back I noticed that he didn’t try to catch up to me. I frowned slightly and gave him a questioning look to which he responded by shrugging. Most of the time he would run with me and we would have a race but lately, I noticed that he was running less and less with me. It was like he was losing his spirit or something which I would have expected after Zaza’s death. I hoped he would return to normal soon but I feared that there would be no more ‘normal’...

I waited for him by the front door and when he approached we went inside. It was a nice sized place for the town. The big windows made it feel bigger than it was and let in lots of natural light so there were very little light fixtures inside.

We were approached by a woman who looked to be maybe in her early thirties. She gave off a really friendly aura and right away I could tell that this woman never stopped smiling. I wondered what it must have been like for her... to always be happy...

I brushed that thought out of my mind very quickly and sat down with Papa in a little booth. The woman gave us each a menu then asked what we wanted to drink. I went with a chocolate milkshake as that was always my first choice while Papa went for plain and boring orange juice. She nodded and I noticed that she let her gaze linger on Papa. What she didn’t know was that I could tell what she was thinking as it was expressed in her aura. _She had a crush on my Papa_.  I watched as she gave him what I can only describe as ‘a flirty smile’ which was something that he didn’t pick up on. He looked at her briefly when giving the order then went back to looking at the menu while her eyes remained on him.

I pretended not to notice and kept my eyes on my menu. She wasn’t being discrete by any means and stayed at our table much longer than necessary but still, Papa didn’t notice. She was roughly the same age as Papa so they definitely could get together but what she didn’t know was that we had just recently lost someone. She had no chance in hell at getting with Papa. She could try but she would quickly be shot down if and when Papa realized she was flirting with him.

Eventually, she went to get our drinks and when she came back she tried being more obvious by leaning close to Papa who still didn’t see what she was doing. Or maybe he did know and was just ignoring it. _Surely he couldn’t have been that clueless_. He was very quick and picking up flirtatious gestures from Zaza. If he really didn’t pick up on her small advances it could have been possible that he was so heartbroken over the loss of Zaza that he was off his game. Either way, he wasn’t showing any signs of interest in this woman.

After setting our drinks on the table she stood upright and I noticed she was very close to Papa. “So what can I get for you two today?” She was asking both of us but she never looked at me. Not even _once_. Her eyes were locked on to Papa.

“I’m still deciding but I’m sure my daughter already picked something.”

“Yeah.” I looked up at her and while she did make eye contact with me, it was very brief. _Lady_ , I get you are attracted to my Papa but _please_ , is it too hard to look at me when I’m giving you my order? “I’ll have the cinnamon bun with extra icing and a chocolate muffin please.”

“Feronia, you know if you keep eating like this you are going to gain some weight.”

“Papa!” My face grew red which only darkened when the woman started to giggle. This brought a little chuckle out of Papa and I noticed that now this woman was starting to grow red in the face. She was acting like some high school girl who was standing before the most popular boy in school. “You’re so mean...” I said and slouched in the booth. I hoped that maybe I could hide from this cruelty.

“As your father, I am just being honest with you.” He gave me a wink then turned to the waitress. He gave her his order and after she wrote it down she gave him a big smile and went off to the kitchen.

When she was out of earshot I leaned over the table and whispered to Papa. “You know that woman totally has a crush on you, right?”

“What?” He looked surprised. He was _clueless_... His brown eyes went wide and I swear, his eyebrows went all the way up his forehead and disappeared behind the mop of brown hair on his head. “You’re joking around.”

“No Papa, I’m serious! Can’t you tell by the looks and little gestures?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Were you this clueless with Zaza?”

“I have no clue what you’re even talking about.”

“Yeah... I can see that you are blind to this but I’m _telling_ you, she likes you. Remember, I can read auras which is almost like reading minds. There is a lot you can tell about what someone is thinking just from their emotions.”

“I still don’t believe you.”

“Sure, _fine_ , be that way but when she asks you on a date don’t act all surprised.”

“She won’t do that.”

“Well we are staying here for a while. You will definitely run into her again as she can’t work here all the time and that’s when she will ask and you can turn her down _politely_.” I made sure to put emphasis on the word politely as Papa didn’t always have the best manners around outsiders.

“I doubt that will happen but if it does, I _promise_ to be polite about it.”

“ _Good_.” We laughed and soon she returned with our food. “That was fast.”

“We do our best.” She responded as she put the plates down in front of us. “We have to make sure our customers are satisfied. She again leaned in close to Papa and this time, gave him a little wink which he had noticed.  

He tried not to look too surprised but I could tell from his aura that he was shocked. _Now_ he believed me. He gave her a polite smile as he didn’t know what else to do and this made her blush. Zaza always said that Papa had an amazing smile which she _clearly_ noticed. She cleared her throat then hurried off to the back. Poor thing. She was probably thinking that this meant he was also interested in her but little did she know, she was going to have her heart broken when he rejected her.

Sure it would be nice for him to look for someone else after we got over our loss but I doubted that would _ever_ happen. Zaza was _everything_ to Papa. They were his soul mate, his whole _world_. There was no way he could ever be happy with someone else after Zaza. He might even feel like he was cheating on them if he started dating again. Even though they were gone, he was going to remain loyal to them until the very end. He had already found his true love in life. He didn’t need anyone else.

We enjoyed our meal in peace after that. The woman didn’t come back to our table until we were ready to pay. Her face was still very red as she handed the bill to Papa. He gave her another polite smile and got the money out of his wallet. She seemed quite nervous and I thought that maybe she was working up the nerve to ask him out or something. It would be a strange time to ask him out as I was sitting right there but was there ever a right time?

Papa handed her the money plus a tip and she accepted it with a slightly shaky hand. I wondered if Papa and Zaza were this nervous around each other when they first started dating. I found it a bit hard to picture them so flustered but it could have been very possible.

“C-Come again.” She stuttered.

“We will.“ I said before Papa could say anything that she might take as flirting. Under the circumstances, anything he said could have appeared to be flirting to her and I didn’t want her to think she had a chance with him.

Papa and I got up from our seats and left the restaurant. He seemed totally oblivious to that woman’s attraction to him even though I knew that he knew. He must have just brushed it off now and didn’t think too much about it.

“So what are we gonna do now for the rest of the day?” I asked as we walked down the quiet street. Papa shrugged and gave a little grunt.

“Up to you. I was thinking of having a nap when we get back.”

“A nap? Really? Papa, it’s the middle of the day!”

“Yeah but you have to keep in mind that I have been driving us for the past nine days is it? I’m mentally exhausted.”

“Okay, that’s fair.”

We went back to the Dollar General and went around back to where our home was. We got in and Papa went straight to the bedroom while I stayed in the main living space. I could have watched TV or something but I wasn’t really in the mood. I wanted to explore the town but I knew Papa would be mad if I left without him. He thought that he wouldn’t be able to protect me if I went alone but I didn’t need his protection. I was capable of looking after myself.

When I was sure that he was asleep I snuck into the bedroom as quietly as I could and opened up the top drawer of the dresser. There I stored my push daggers, mask, and goggles. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to bring the mask or goggles but I definitely wanted to bring my weapons. You never know what could happen. I wanted to be able to defend myself if someone tried messing with me. I took out the two small weapons and stuffed them in the pocket of my hoody then closed the drawer. I looked back at the bed to make sure I hadn’t woken up Papa. Luckily for me, I hadn’t.

I quietly left the room and shut the door behind me. I opened up the front door and made sure to shut it quietly too. When I was outside and the door was shut I was about to make my way to the front of the store but stopped when I noticed a delivery truck. The new items Steve was expecting had arrived. I saw him empty out the truck all by himself and wondered why he didn’t have any employees helping out. Curious, I went over to him. “Hey Steve.”

“Oh hey kiddo. How did you and your dad like the restaurant?”

“Oh we loved it! The food was amazing!”

“I knew you would like it. Nothing beats foods packed with sugar.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” We laughed and I watched him as he lifted what looked to be a particularly heavy box. “Do you need any help?”

“You don’t have to. I got it.”

“How come you don’t have anyone helping?”

“I only have two people who work at my store but they are both in school right now so it’s just me right now.”

“You sure you don’t want any help? I don’t mind helping and it would make this go a lot faster for you.”

“You are very insistent. Sure. Why not?” I hopped in the truck and picked up one of the smaller boxes. It was light enough for me so I brought it over to Steve who took it and went to put it inside the storage room. When he came back I was already holding another one. In no time at all, we had unloaded the whole truck which dove away when it was empty. I then turned to Steve who was opening up the boxes to see what was inside them.

“Can I help with anything else?”

“No, I think that’s it.” He opened a box with the box cutter and looked inside. I was just about to leave when he called out to me. “Actually wait, no, I think you can.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Can you make a delivery for me?”

“A delivery? Sure but I’m gonna need very detailed directions so I don’t get lost.”

He let out a big laugh and I could see small tears forming in the corner of his eyes. “Oh don’t worry child. You won’t get lost. This town isn’t big enough for that.” He turned away from me when he calmed down and reached in the box he had just opened. He pulled out a bag full of yarn that is used for knitting. He took this bag into the main part of the store and motioned for me to follow him, so I did. I waited by the counter as he went behind to scan the items and wrote down the price of a piece of paper then he put them in a reusable shopping bag and passed it over to me. “This is to go to the Schumacher's house. Go up the street, the way you went to the restaurant but keep going and turn left. The house is number 56 and will be on your right. You think you can remember all that?”

“I think so.”

“Good. I’ll see you soon kiddo.”

“See ya.” I left the store and was on my way to my grandparent’s home… Luckily for me, I knew what the house looked like so I would be able to spot it but the problem was I was incredibly nervous… They didn’t know who I was but I knew them and I knew that we were family… How was I going to be able to keep this secret to myself?


	18. Chapter 18

I walked down the street until it split off in two and I went left. I looked at the numbers on the house and saw I was only in the twenties. Their house must be close to the end of the street. I sighed when I realized how much walking it would be but I sucked it up. I wanted to meet my family. I wanted to formally introduce myself to them. I wanted to tell them who I really was but that would mean I would have to tell them that their “daughter” was now dead… I didn’t want to and wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to tell them anything between my tears. Just thinking about Zaza created tears in my eyes.

I wiped the tears from my eyes before they could run down my cheeks and focused on my task. I tightened my grip on the cloth handles of the bag and looked for the house. Maybe about halfway down the street I found it. It looked exactly the way it did in the news clip. Maybe it even looked the same for the last sixteen years. If Zaza were here, would they have said that nothing had changed?

I walked up the pathway leading up to the dark green door and rang the doorbell. I stood on the porch waiting for someone to come to the door. It cracked open and I could see a little bit of a face peeking through the crack. I instantly recognized the person as the kid from the shop, Jr. That was the name Steve had used for him. He looked slightly shocked to see me. I couldn’t tell if he recognized me from the store or not but either way he was giving off a bit of a cold aura.

“What do you want?” He asked very coldly.

“Oh, well... um...” Before I could make up a sentence a voice came from inside the house.

“Jr? Who is at the door? And what is with that tone? Be nice.” Jr moved out of the way and the front door opened up to reveal my grandmother. Ciara. She had a slight look of shock on her face when she saw me. That was no surprise. She had never seen me before in her life so it was a bit shocking to have a complete stranger knock on your door.

“Oh hello there young lady. What can I do for you?”

“I came here to drop this off.” I held up the bag in my hand which she took and looked at its contents. When she saw the yarn she looked back at me and smiled.

“Oh thank you. Are you working for Steve? I don’t believe I’ve seen you around here before...”

“My Papa and I are new here and I am not working for Steve. I’m just helping out as his employees are at school.”

“That’s so sweet of you.” There was a big gust of wind that felt like it shook the house and almost knocked me to the ground because it was so cold. I pulled my coat tightly around me and shivered. Ciara, my grandmother noticed this and stood to the side and ushered me in. “It’s freezing today. Come inside and warm up.”

“Thanks...” I hurried inside and she shut the door behind me to keep the cold air out.

“Today is quite cold.”

“Yeah, it is...”

“You can take your boots off and put them on that mat right there.” Grandma pointed to a black fuzzy mat that was placed against the wall just to the left of the door. I nodded and slipped off my clunky winter boots and placed them neatly on the mat. Next I removed my coat which she took and hung up in the closet. “Would you like some hot chocolate?”

“Of course!” She chuckled and made her way over to the kitchen and told me to go sit on the sofa. The house plan was open-concept so we were still able to speak even though she was in the kitchen and I was in the living room.

When I sat down, I saw Jr follow his mom into the kitchen and stood quite close to her. I saw his lips move as he was whispering something to her but he was so quiet I couldn’t tell what he was saying but whatever it was, his mom didn’t look too happy with him. “Jr, be nice!” She scolded.

“I’m just _saying!_ ” He took a quick glance in my direction then looked back at his mom. He whispered again but this time I was able to barely make out his words. “There’s something about her that I don’t quite trust... I don’t know what it is but... I’m just getting a bad feeling from her...”

“That’s _enough_ Jr. If you are going to keep this up then you can go to your room.”

“But-”

“No ‘buts’. Off you go or be nice.”

“ _Fine_.” He looked back at me but this time his eyes stayed on me. I got a chill as his aura was cold and distrusting towards me. He walked over to the living room and sat on the sofa directly across from me. Not once did he ever break eye contact with me.

He had to have been able to sense auras like Zaza and I could. That must have been why he was so distrusting of me. I wouldn’t be too surprised if he too had this ability as he came from the same family as Zaza and I only his must have been weaker than ours. It was totally possible that he didn’t even know what this power was.

Zaza told me a while back that it took them a while to figure out what this power was but they had the benefit of being a fantasy nerd and this ability had come up in a book they had once read. After that, they did so much research and worked hard to discover what this ability was and what they were able to do.

Jr looked at me with narrowed eyes as his mom made hot chocolate. She didn’t try to chat while she was in the kitchen as she wanted to be able to speak to me face to face. It was only polite and she seemed like she was a woman who took manners very seriously.

I wanted to make small talk with Jr but he wasn’t that friendly and already didn’t like me so I didn’t see the point. It was such a shame because he was family so I wanted to get to know him but I got the feeling that that wouldn’t happen anytime soon...

“Here we go,” Grandma said in a cheery voice as she brought over a tray with three mugs. “One for everybody on this particularly cold winter day.” She handed us both a cup then took the last one for herself and sat beside Jr. He took a sip of his drink but watched me the entire time. I was starting to get creeped out by him. I didn’t like how he kept looking at me.

“Thanks so much-” I cut myself off before I could say _grandma_. I couldn’t call her that. Yes, I knew that she was my grandmother but she didn’t and if I slipped up then I would be here for hours explaining everything to her. That is... if she would even believe me. “Um..”

“Oh, yes, my name is Ciara.” She set her mug on her lap and held it with one hand and with her free hand, reached out to me.

“My name is Feronia,” I said with a smile and shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Feronia, that a pretty and unique name. Where did that come from?”

“Oh... Well... my... _mom_ named me. _She_... used to love all things fantasy and once read a book with that name in it and decided to name me after that character. It’s a Gothic name and it means ‘forest goddess’ which is very appropriate for me as I love being outside, especially in the forest. I basically grew up in a forest.”

“My goodness. Your mother certainly chose the best name for you.”

“Yeah... She did...” God, it felt so _wrong_ to use a female pronoun and to call Zaza, _mom_.

“That reminds me of...” She paused. I watched as he thought carefully about what she was about to say. She took a deep breath and continued her sentence. “That reminds me of my late daughter... She used to love fantasy. Fantasy books, fantasy movies, fantasy TV shows, you name it. She wouldn’t bother with things from any other genre. I don’t know where that obsession, one could say, came from as her father and I aren’t interested in that particular genre.”

“Kids often differ from their parents. My- _mom_ , loved fantasy but I don’t. I mean, I have seen some fantasy movies but those aren’t my thing. I love anything that has to do with superheroes just like my dad but my mom hated those movies. Actually, almost two weeks ago, Papa and I managed to get them to watch the movie Venom which we took as a huge accomplishment as they hardly agreed to sit and watch movies with us.” I got so excited talking about Zaza to their mom, my _Oma_.

She smiled as I talked but it faded after I finished speaking. She tilted her head ever so slightly in confusion and set her mug down on the coffee table that stood in between us. “I don’t mean to pry or anything... but I noticed that you are using the past tense when talking about your mother... Is she..?”

“Oh... Right... Yeah... she... passed away... quite recently in fact...” I lower my head. I looked down at the cup in my hands. The brown liquid sloshed around as I rocked the cup to try and keep the chocolate from pooling at the bottom. “Their death is the reason Papa and I came here... We didn’t intend on coming to this town specifically... We just needed a fresh start and with no plan, we just drove and drove until we reached this place... I think we might stay here as it’s a nice place...”

The room went silent and the auras from Oma and Jr went dark. I could see my grandmother’s aura go from a neutral light green colour to a dark grey while Jr’s went to a dark blue. Oma was more affected by this news than he was. She was just more sensitive as she was already depressed from the loss of her first child.

“Oh... sweetheart... I’m so sorry...”

“It’s alright... Their death was... unexpected... And as soon as possible, Papa and I packed up and left our home and now we’re here...”

“How did she die?”

“JR!” She turned to Jr and gave him what I can only describe as a death stare.

“What?”

“You are unbelievable!” She raised her hand as if she was going to hit him but she didn’t. It was a mock charge of sorts which was a warning to him. He didn’t flinch so I assumed that she had done this before which didn’t surprise me given what I’ve seen of him so far. Given his lack of fear I assumed that she never actually hit him. This was just to keep him in check. “I am SO sorry for my son’s behaviour! He has some impulse control issue.”

“Hey!”

She ignored him and reached out and took my hand in hers. “Of course, you do not have to say anything that you don’t want to. Just ignore my impulsive son and his horribly inappropriate question. I will most definitely have a chat with him later about this.” As she said the last part she looked over at him with narrowed eyes. Oh he was in trouble now.

“It’s alright... He’s still young and doesn’t think before he speaks.”

“I am not _that_ young! And how old are you? You don’t look that much older than me!”

“I am fifteen but because of everything that has happened to me, I have grown up quite quickly.”

“Fifteen? Then you have no right to say that crap as if you are an adult! You are only two years older than me!”

“Jr! Enough!” She opened her mouth to speak again but before she could the front door opened up and we all turned to see who had come in. It was my grandfather. It had to be. He was the man I had seen in the news clip.

“What’s going on here?” He asked after seeing me on the sofa.

“This lovely young girl is named Feronia and she and her father just arrived in town.” Oma took a deep breath and got off the couch and went over to greet him. They shared a quick kiss and smiled as they looked into each other’s eyes after parting from the kiss. It reminded me of Papa and Zaza... That thought made my chest hurt and I could feel tears developing in my eyes.

“Welcome to Kingston.” He said now turning his attention to me. “My name is Felix.” He walked over to me and shook my hand.

“Nice to meet you...” I said in a strained voice. I pulled my hand away and cleared my throat. “Sorry...”

“Is everything alright?” He looked concerned. As hard as I tried to hide my feelings, I was just too easy to read.

“It’s... I just lost my mom recently and seeing you and your wife... It just reminded me of my parents... Back when... when...” I wasn’t able to finish my sentence. The tears came rushing down my face. I started to cry. My grandfather wasted no time in pulling me into a big hug. My face was pressed against his chest and I wrapped my arms around his slender form. I cried my eyes out once again. He held me in a firm grip with one arm and his free hand rubbed my back to try and soothe me. When I calmed down, I stepped away and wiped the tears away. “Sorry...”

“Sweetie, don’t you dare apologize.” I looked over at Oma who was now at my side. She wrapped an arm around my shoulder and gave me a gentle squeeze. “You have every right to cry especially if this was recent.”

I nodded and took a deep breath to help calm myself. I took a few more until I finally regained my composure. “I think I’m okay now...”

“How about you come sit down again?”

“Actually, I should head home...”

“And where is home?” Opa asked curiously.

“Right now, it’s behind the Dollar General...” I explained. “Steve was nice enough to let us park our RV behind the store until we figure out our next step...”

“That’s Steve for you.” He nodded and Oma went to get my coat out of the closet. “How about I take you back?”

“Do you seriously think that’s necessary dad?” We all turned our heads to Felix who had his arms crossed against his chest.

“Yeah, why?”

“Ignore him,” Oma said flatly. “Felix has been acting up lately and we need to teach him some manners later.”

“Felix... What have you done?”

“I haven’t done anything!” He said defensively. Opa looked at his son then over at his wife who shook her head. I guessed that she was letting him know that their son was a troublemaker who had to be punished.

“Right... Well, you stick to that story until I come home and then the three of us can talk about your behaviour. Until then, I am going to take her back to her father.”

“It’s a short walk. She doesn’t need a lift-”

“ _Enough_.” I watched as Oma went over to Jr and grabbed him by his upper arm. “Go to your room.” She began walking and in doing so, dragged him along with her towards a small hallway.

“Why? I didn’t do anything!”

“Listen to your mother,” Opa said sternly.

I didn’t bother to watch Oma drag Jr off. I got my coat and boots on then followed Opa out of the house. We got in his car and he drove me down the street to the Dollar General. The drive was only a few minutes, barely even three but on foot, it would have taken me at least ten minutes. Maybe even longer with the cold air and wind. He parked in a spot that was close to the driveway that led to the back of the store and unlocked the doors. “And here we are.”

“Thanks so much. You really didn’t have to drive me.”

“Well I couldn’t let you walk in this cold, especially after you cried at my house. It just didn’t feel right letting you go on your own.”

“Well thanks so much. I guess I’ll see you later.”

“I suppose we will if you and your father are staying here.” He chuckled. “Have a good day.”

I nodded and got out of the car. I closed the door behind me and went to the back of the store as quickly as I could. It seemed as if it had gotten colder by several degrees in the short time I was at Zaza’s old home. It had gotten a bit darker as thick, dark clouds had started to form in the sky. It looked as if a snow storm was coming.

I hurried to the RV and went inside. I shed my winter clothes and kicked off my boots which I left at the door. I was going to have to move them later as Papa would complain about them being a tripping hazard but for now, I didn’t care. I tossed my coat on the cushioned bench of our little booth where we ate and went over to one of the theatre seats.

I got comfortable and wrapped a little fleece blanket around me. We always kept one on the back of the seat so we could snuggle up in them at any time during the colder months. There I stayed until papa woke up.


	19. Chapter 19

For the next few days, we stayed behind the Dollar General as Papa worked out what our next step was going to be. Should we stay here? It would be a challenge since we couldn’t exactly go out and buy a house and we couldn’t stay behind the store forever. After five days he decided that it would be best that we leave eventually and find a spot in the forest that surrounded the town. To the people, we would appear as if we left town but in reality, we wouldn’t be far away however this meant that we wouldn’t be able to come into town for supplies. Luckily, the closest town to Kingston was only a ten-minute drive away so Papa would be able to there to get things we would need.

I asked him why we couldn’t just pick a spot closer to that town to make getting supplies easier but he said he liked the woods that surrounded this town. He had gone off and explored a bit and said he found a nice clearing perhaps two minutes away by car which is where we would go. There were no trails nearby so we wouldn’t have anyone come by and that would save us the trouble of killing them. We couldn’t have any witnesses.

I was sitting on the small loveseat sofa playing on the tablet while Papa went to go get gas. There was no point in lugging the RV the short distance it took to go to the gas station so he unhooked it from the truck and left me to chill until he came back.

There wasn’t much for me to do. I had read all of my books and he said that after we settled in our new home he would take me book shopping but that could be a few more days. For now, all I had were the very few games that Zaza had downloaded on the tablet and I had gotten a few during our road trip so I wouldn’t be bored to death but I was so done with them at this point. I just wanted to settle into our new home and rebuild our life.

I also didn’t like being confined to this small RV. Back in Oregon, at least I could get out and run around but not here. Here, Papa wanted me to stay inside to limit my interaction with others. It frustrated me but he was the boss so I had no choice but to listen to him.

 

_Sigh._

 

I was sitting there for maybe ten minutes after he left and looked out the window to see if there was any sign of him but no. Nothing. Papa must have stopped at a grocery store or something. If he was close to one and remembered we needed something then why not? He was right there.

I was just about to look away when I noticed something in the trees. There was movement. I leaned closer to the window and squinted my eyes. Even though it was winter and all of the leaves had fallen off, the trees were so close together that only a few feet in, anything or anyone got really difficult to see. Especially if they wore brown clothes that had a camouflage pattern printed on them.

I studied the area I had seen the movement and saw what looked to be a person walking deep into the forest. I was able to track them down around the RV and they took off once they got behind the store. It looked like they were going in the direction of the park. I was curious about this as no normal person would take this particular path to the park. They would just walk along the road. I wanted to find out who this was and where they were going.

I quickly slipped on my boots and grabbed my coat as I made my way to the door. I stumbled down the steps and pulled my coat on just as I exited the RV. I used my foot to kick the door closed then went into the woods. I listened for the footsteps of this person but the world was very quiet. I looked around to see if I could see the person but everything was still.

 

How could they have disappeared so quickly?

 

With no signs, I went in the direction where I last saw this mysterious person. If I kept walking then I would find them eventually. I hoped so, at least. I went deeper and deeper into the woods. I navigated myself through the tall, thin trees that grew close together. There was hardly enough room for me to even walk. How small was this person that they could navigate this so quickly? I was fairly small for my age and even _I_ had trouble weaving through the trees.

I went as fast as I could and soon I made it to a small trail. It looked more like a hiking trail than an actual walking trail as it was quite uneven but that could have just been because of the snow and ice. I carefully made my way along it and found some fresh footprints. Whoever this was, must have gone on the path which would have been easier than going through the dense forest. I followed them until I reached the park. From here, they cut across the park to the very back and it looked like they went back into the woods. I wondered why they went this way instead of going around on the trail. Wouldn’t that have been easier?

I followed the footprints to the back of the park and saw a large rock that had two tall trees on either side of it. This had to be the rock that was mentioned in the news clip I had seen last week. This had to be where Zaza used to hang out... It was strange. To think that Zaza spent their teen years at this park, sitting on this rock.

I went over and looked down at it. The rock wasn’t that big in height but it was roughly the height of an average chair, maybe even a little bit smaller. In length, it could definitely seat three people if they were all squished together. It would have been a great place for my parents and I to sit and hang out at...

 

That was...

 

If Zaza was still here...

 

I squat down and ran a hand over the smooth surface of the rock. It was covered in a layer on snow and beneath that was a solid layer of ice. If it weren’t for that, I would have sat down but the last thing I wanted was for my pants to get wet. I also wanted to go find that person in the woods but after this much time, they were probably long gone. Thank goodness for snow, I should still be able to find them by following their footprints.

I looked down at the ground and easily found their trail. It looked like not many people came this far in the park as there was only one trail in the snow. I followed it around the rock and deep into the woods. This person had walked a long distance in such a short time. I wondered how it was even humanly possible for someone to move so quickly. At first, I thought that maybe this person was just hiding but the tracks in the snow told me otherwise.

I followed the trail to a small red bridge. It looked a bit faded and splintered from rough weather. I guess no one came to maintain it and that made me wonder, _why?_ My best guess was that it was so far in the forest that the people of the town either forgot about it or thought it was more trouble than it was worth. The tracks looked like they went across the bride so I followed. The old wood creaked under my weight but it didn’t feel like it was going to give out on me. After countless amount of years, it was still quite strong. Strong enough to hold me which was a good thing because there was a river just under it.

I stopped about halfway across and looked over the railing. Even though it was the middle of winter the water was still flowing although not as fast as I imagined it would in the spring when all of this snow melted. It was just fast enough to keep it from freezing over.

I watched as the water crashed on the shallow dirt banks as it raced by. Maybe there was a bigger river or even a lake nearby if this river was here. I wondered if maybe it would lead to a nice open yet hidden area like the one back in Oregon so Papa and I could replicate what our old home used to be. The thought of our old home and the happy memories had changed my mood. I was no longer curious about who or dare I say what I saw in the woods. I couldn’t care less anymore. I was now sad once again as I remembered Zaza…

I shivered as a big gust of wind hit me. It felt like it went through my very core. I pulled my coat tightly around me but it didn’t do much good. I was still freezing. To try and help warm myself up, I pulled up my hood and pulled my sleeves down over my hands the best I could. It wasn’t much but it was something and something was better than nothing…

“I guess I should head back now…” I thought out loud to myself. I turned and was about to leave when I heard a bark. It was faint but I still heard it. Did I really just hear a dog? My first thought was that maybe it belonged to someone who lived right next to the woods but there were no homes in sight and a dog couldn’t project their bark that far. Could it? No. Impossible. I was too far in. There was no way. I listened to see if maybe the dog would bark again but I didn’t hear anything so I shrugged. It was probably just my imagination.

I turned to head back home but just before I could even take a single step I heard it again. There was another bark. So it wasn’t just my imagination tricking me. “What the hell?” I had to find out where this bark was coming from. What if this poor dog was lost in the woods? That would be horrible for the poor thing on such a cold day. I had to go find the dog and make sure it was alright and that it wouldn’t freeze to death. If it wasn’t bred for the cold then it wouldn’t stand a chance against mother nature.

I turned around once again and took off in a jog in the direction where I thought the sound was coming from. After about twenty feet I heard another bark. This sounded a bit closer but not much. At least I was going in the right direction. I kept going but because it was so cold my lungs were beginning to burn. The cold air felt like fire. My throat and chest felt as if I had just swallowed liquid nitrogen. I had to stop. I had to catch my breath. I panted heavily and prayed for this feeling to pass but it wasn’t going away any time soon. It hurt so much. I just wanted it to go away. I hated this but I couldn’t let this stop me from finding the dog.

After a few minutes, I collected myself and continued my search for the dog but this time I didn’t run. I walked but took big steps. My chest still felt like it was on fire but I pushed through.

I kept on walking through the deep snow. It crunched under my feet and a few times I almost fell as my legs were starting to feel weak. “Come on… Just a little longer…” I told my body. I heard another bark and it sounded only a few yards away. I was so close! In my excitement, I took a rather large step forward and didn’t pay attention to where my foot landed. I stepped on a sheet of ice which I slipped on. I let out a yelp as my foot slid to the side and I came crashing down. I put my arms out in front of me to break my fall but when my hands made contact with the slippery ice they just shot forward which stretched out my arms. I felt like I had ripped open all of the muscles in my arms and even in my shoulders.

“Ow…” I moaned in pain as I rolled over on my back. I hugged myself as if that would help get rid of the pain but it really didn’t do that much. “Stupid fucking ice…” I laid there for who knows how long just moaning and squirming in pain. I probably went on much longer than necessary but I didn’t care. I was the only one out here so if I wanted to be a drama queen then I was going to be a drama queen.

I didn’t hear the soft footsteps in between my over-dramatic moaning and I was so focused on my pain that I didn’t even pick up the aura of someone else. Someone who was now approaching me. I only noticed this other presence when I felt a wet, slobbery thing on my cheek. My eyes shot open and I found myself face to face with a dog. This dog was a black and white Husky and he had the brightest blue eyes I had ever seen on a dog. They almost resembled mine. They were so blue that they were almost white.

While he was cute, I was so shocked at how close he was that I had let out a scream and sat up. All of my pain was now forgotten. I scrambled away from the dog out of shock and he just watched with his head tilted to the side. His pointy ears were perked up and pointed in my direction as he listened to my heavy breathing and his big, fluffy tail was going from side to side.

“O-Oh... Hello there...” I said with a shaky voice from being startled. “You startled me. Were you the one I heard barking?” I asked the dog. I don’t know why I spoke to him as if he were a person but I did. He watched me very intently as I spoke and when I finished speaking, he gave a little bark and it looked as if he had nodded his head but of course, that was crazy. He probably nodded his head because of the bark.

I reached out to try and pet the dog but he ducked his head and dashed away in fear. “It’s okay,” I said reassuringly. “I won’t hurt you. I just want to pet you.” I reached my hand out again, this time much slower and lower to the ground and I paused just inches from his face. He gave my hand a few sniffs and when I thought he might accept me, I tried to pet him again but again he dashed away.

“Well I guess you don’t like to be touched, huh?”

He barked again then turned and ran off. I watched him go for a few feet before he stopped and turned to face me. He pointy ears perked in my direction and it looked like he was waiting for me to follow him. I waited for a few seconds to see if he’d run off but he didn’t. He continued to stare at me. I got a weird feeling from this dog. It was like he wasn’t even a dog but some mysterious entity that changed its shape to look like a regular Husky.

When he didn’t move I got up from the ground and walked towards him. That’s when he turned around and ran off again but he made sure to stop from time to time to make sure that I was still following him. We continued this until we reached a really bushy area. All of the plants were overgrown and tangled together but luckily it was winter so all of the leaves had fallen off leaving just the scrawny branches.

The dog ducked under the mess of branches in a little opening that resembled a tunnel. It was small but big enough for this Husky to make it through with no problems. I got on my hands and knees and crawled in after him and when I made it to the other side I stood up and brushed the snow from my jeans. When I looked up to try and locate the mysterious dog, I gasped.

I was in a huge area that had to span a couple of square acres and all around the property were trees of the forest I had just come from. However, that wasn’t what had caught my attention. What had caught my attention was the building that was located a few hundred yards away from me. It was huge! Whatever this place was, it looked like it could house a few hundred people, if not a few thousand which was quite a shock. Why was something this big so close to such a small town? A town that currently didn’t even have one thousand and five hundred residents!

I saw the dog a few feet ahead of me and he was looking right at me. He wanted me to follow him to this building for some reason but why me? Did he come searching specifically for me? That was a crazy idea. So was it that he just happen to have found me and brought me here? If so, then why? Was there someone inside the building that needed help? Dogs are smart creatures so if his owner is in trouble then, of course, he would go searching for someone who could help.

I followed him all the way across the snow-covered ground and he brought me up to the main entrance of the building. There were two large double doors that looked to be made of real wood. Back in the day when they were well maintained they would have looked amazing but now they looked old and were starting to rot away. One was partially open and one hinge had already broken off. I guessed that it could no longer move and was now frozen in place until the door completely rotted away which would still take a few more years.

I slipped in through the crack which was just big enough for me to enter and I followed this dog up the stairs that were right in front of me as I entered. These stairs stood out to me. The whole building was old and falling apart and looked like what one would expect from an abandoned place. There was dust and debris everywhere including bits of snow and ice but the stairs... The stairs were completely clean from any mess.

 

**That was disturbing...**

 

Why did the stairs look like they were cleaned on a regular basis? Was... was someone actually living in this dump? I found that hard to believe... Why would anyone want to live in here? It looked creepy as hell!

Hesitantly, I followed the dog up all four flights of stairs to the top level. When I reached the top floor I was dead, or, at least I felt like it. I was out of breath and my lungs burned for oxygen. Stairs were not my friend... I couldn’t imagine for the life of me why anyone would want to live in this place or why in the fuck they chose to live on the top fucking floor!

I was panting heavily as I dragged myself up the last few steps then collapsed on the floor. “You evil fucking dog...” I panted out. “Why in the hell did you make me climb all those fucking stairs for?!”

The dog looked at me with his tail wagging. At least that fucker was having a good time... I spent who knows how long on the ground trying to catch my breath and when I did, I had the biggest shock of my life...

There were a few people in what looked to be the living room and they were all looking at me. So there were people who were living here...

I quickly got to my feet and pressed myself against the wall that was right behind me. “I-I’m sorry!” I exclaimed. “I didn’t mean to intrude! I was just following this dog because it seemed like he wanted me to! I’ll go now!”

I turned to leave but was stopped in my tracks when a voice spoke up. “Feronia..?”

 

That made me freeze.

 

That...

 

That voice...

 

...

 

It was my Zaza’s voice...


	20. Chapter 20

I stood there, frozen in place. My heart felt like it was racing.

 

That…

 

That _couldn’t_ be their voice…

 

Zaza was _dead_ …

 

I saw it with my own two eyes…

 

They were killed back in Oregon by Jeff…

 

By the man who claimed to be my father…

 

_No_ …

 

That _couldn’t_ be them…

 

It was _impossible_ …

 

I wanted to turn and prove to myself that I did not just hear Zaza but I was scared… What if… what if by some small chance… what if that really _was_ Zaza? What if that wasn’t my head playing tricks on me?

 

_It couldn’t be_ …

 

I held my breath as I slowly turned my head to see the person who sounded eerily similar to Zaza… When I saw who had spoken I wanted to throw up. I was so overwhelmed with every single emotion that a human is capable of feeling. They just hit me all at once. I just couldn’t handle it.

 

Standing there…

 

Standing only a few feet away from me…

 

It…

 

It really _was_ Zaza…

 

_But_ …

 

_But **how**?!_

 

When I turned I could hear them let out a choked gasp and their hands shot up to their mouth. “Baby!” They choked out.

“Z…Zaza..? It… it can’t be you… You... You’re dead!” I felt like I couldn’t breathe. My lungs didn’t want to work. It was like they had collapsed into a puddle of blood and tissue inside of my chest and as for my heart… It was beating so fast it felt like it was about to come right up my throat. If I was going to throw up then I was going to expel my heart...

“Baby… It’s me… It’s really me…” Zaza took a few steps forward as a sort of test to see how I would react. In disbelief, I too took a few steps forwards. We were now within arms reach of each other.

I looked up at them and stared into their deep green eyes. Their eyes that reminded me of emeralds... They reached out to me with a shaky hand and I noticed bruises that were in the process of healing were covering their skinny arm. They brushed a strand of short brown hair from my face which was just long enough to be tucked behind my ear. Zaza looked at me with a loving smile then cupped my face with their hand.

“My darling Feronia… I’m so glad to see you’re alive and well…”

“This… This isn’t a dream… is it..?” I was afraid to know the answer. What if it was? What if I was still in the RV? What if I had fallen asleep on the couch and this was just some sick dream my brain had come up with? It felt so real but I knew it couldn’t be. Zaza was dead. They couldn’t be here in front of me.

“No baby, this isn’t a dream. It’s really me. I’m right here.” I began to choke up when they began to pull their hand away from my face. No… _No_. I couldn’t let them pull away. If this was a dream then I didn’t want to lose contact with them because then they might be sucked up into some void and I would never get to see them again. It felt as if... if they let go then they would be lost to me forever.

I lunged at them when they pulled away and threw my arms around their fragile figure. I buried my face in their chest and cried. I poured my soul out in those tears. Those big and salty tears that soaked right through their clothes. I cried like a baby. I cried at the top of my lungs. I cried until my throat felt sore. Like I had torn open all of the tissue there.

Zaza’s arms wrapped around me in an equally tight hug and we sank to the ground. We were both crying. Both of us were crying loudly. Zaza held me close and I stayed close. My hands gripped on tightly of the fabric of their clothes. Neither of us wanted to let go and we didn’t have to. We had all of the time in the world now so we just focused on each other.

We cried until neither of us could produce any more tears. Zaza was the first to stop crying but they continued to hold me as I still had tears to shed. They started rubbing my back and hushing me to try and get me to calm down. It helped but I only started to calm down when my body grew tired and I could no longer produce any more tears.

When my crying had died down I looked up at Zaza who gave me a sad smile and they once again brushed some hair out of my face and tucked it behind my ears. “It’s only been two weeks but it felt like a lifetime since I last saw you… My darling child…” They leaned forward and pressed a loving kiss to my forehead. I let out another sob but it didn’t lead to more tears. I was all out of those.

“Zaza…” I said which was followed by another sob.

“Shhh. It’s alright. You’re alright.” They kissed me again and I leaned into the affection. I had missed their touch and all this time I had thought they were dead. _Hell_. This still felt like some twisted dream. It was like my brain was giving me this happy moment but it would all go away when I woke up. I hope I never would. I wanted to live in this dream world where Zaza was still alive. I needed more time with them. I wasn’t ready to accept the fact that they were gone…

“If this is a dream then I don’t ever want to wake up…”

“Then luckily for you, this isn’t a dream.”

“How can I be sure..? How do I know that I won’t wake up soon and all of this will disappear? That you will disappear and I will go back to believing that you are dead..?”

“If your pinch yourself then you will wake up. Go ahead and try it. I promise you that you won’t because this is all _real_.”

“But what if I pinch myself and I do wake up..? I’m not ready for that… I need more time with you…”

“Then how about this. If you pinch yourself then you will have all the time in the world with me. I _promise_ you. Try it.”

“Okay…” I did as Zaza said. I pinched myself. I squeezed my eyes shut then used my index finger and thumb to pinch the skin on my hand. It hurt and for good measure, I even twisted the skin there. It did nothing but leave a bright red mark on the back of my hand. I opened my eyes again I looked around. I was still in the building and Zaza was still in front of me. “Zaza…”

“See? I told you baby. This isn’t a dream. It’s real.” Zaza gently put their hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes. “This is real and I’m right here. I’m here and I am _never_ leaving you again. I swear on my life.” Without warning, Zaza pulled me into another hug. They held me so tightly that I felt like I couldn’t breathe but I didn’t mind. To me, this just made it feel even more real. The bone-crushing hug told me that this was real and that I wasn’t dreaming.

“Zaza…” I said. My voice was muffled as my face was pressed against their chest but it was still audible. When I said it, they just squeezed me even tighter.

“Does someone want to explain what the hell is going on?” Zaza and I both looked up at the person who had spoken up. I jumped when I saw them. It was a young woman who was wearing a black dress and sneakers and she had really long black hair. But… But her _face_ … Her face was completely white which made her big, black eyes stand out. It was terrifying! She didn’t look human at all!

“Oh... Right...” Zaza cleared their throat, got to their feet then helped me up. They made me turn towards this… this _thing_ … but I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to look at it let alone talk to it. “Jane, this is my daughter, Feronia. Feronia, this is my friend Jane.”

“Wait, **daughter**?!” Jane exclaimed in surprise. I could feel her looking at me but I didn’t look at her. I kept my eyes on the ground. “You have a _daughter_?!”

“Who has a kid?” A new voice. After seeing this Jane person I didn’t want to know what this new person would look like but my curiosity got the better of me. I looked up in the direction of the new voice and again, I jumped. This person creeped me out even more than Jane. It appeared to be male judging from the sound of the voice but like Jane, it didn’t look human. This person was wearing a dark hoodie, jeans, sneakers and a blue mask with big, black eyes. Bigger than Jane’s and unlike Jane, it didn’t have a mouth.

 

_I was going to have nightmares for the rest of the month…_

 

“Lou does!”

“Oh EJ, meet Feronia,” Zaza said turning to this person who was called EJ.

My heart pounded in my chest as I watched this creature. It approached me cautiously which surprised me. I saw his aura flare up with interest. Interest in me. **ME!** I pressed myself against Zaza as he got within inches of me and held on to their clothes. “Stay back you monster!” I warned in the most threatening voice I could manage.

“ **Feronia!** ”

“It’s fine Lou. I don’t blame her for being scared of me.” This creature named EJ took a few steps back and straightened himself out. “Sorry about that kid. I know I look scary but I swear I won’t hurt you. Not if you’re Lou’s kid.”

“Lou!” Jane exclaimed. It was so unexpected that it made both Zaza and I jump. We turned to Jane who now had her arms crossed and she was staring at Zaza. Her aura was slightly red as she was angry but not furious. _For now_ … “You have some explaining to do!”

“Yeah… I know…”

“How could you not tell me that you had a kid?!”

“The topic never came up…” Zaza shrugged. This angered Jane even more.

“Oh fuck you Lou! _The topic never came up_. Fuck off! You could and should have brought up the fact that you have a kid! You have so much explaining to do!”

“Jane, yelling won’t help the situation,” EJ said. He would have continued speaking but she held up her hand to silence him.

“Shut up you kidney thief! Lou, living room, **now**!” She pointed in the direction of the large open space that we were basically already standing in. More specifically, she was pointing to two large sofas that sat in the center.

Zaza sighed and went to go sit down. They tried dragging me along too but I refused to move. I moved away from Zaza who looked at me with a confused look. “What’s wrong?” They asked.

“Why are you so trusting of them? Look at them! They are terrifying!”

“ **Feronia**! I am _so_ _sorry_ about her. I don’t know what’s gotten into her. Normally she’s such a sweet girl.”

“What’s gotten into _me_?! Try, what’s gotten into _you_! How are you so comfortable with them?!”

“Enough!” Their voice boomed and bounced off the walls. It made me stop in my tracks. It actually left me speechless. They had never raised their voice towards me like that in my entire life. “That is quite **_enough_** out of you! These people are my friends! I knew them long before meeting your father so you will behave and most importantly, be **_nice_** to them! Are we clear?”

“I can’t believe this. You expect me to be nice to these monsters?”

“ **FERONIA**!”

“Whatever! You know what, since I am such a disappointment to you, how about I just leave? There is no reason for me to stay nor do I want to! I’m not staying in a place full of monsters. I don’t want to know what else lives here! Bye!” And I left without looking back. I could hear Zaza calling after me but I didn’t stop to listen to what they had to say. I didn’t care.

I don’t know what came over me. I really don’t. I should have stayed as I thought Zaza was dead for the past two weeks. I wanted to know what had happened and how the hell they ended up here. I had more than a few questions for them but I was in such a foul mood that I had to leave. I wasn’t even sure why I felt the way I did. Was it because I was scared and this was my body’s way of coping? Or was it that I had so many emotions already flowing inside of me that this one just happened to take control all of a sudden? I wasn’t too sure but I didn’t care at the time. All I cared about was getting out of there but as I got to the bottom of the stairs I slowly started coming back to my senses. I questioned myself as to why I was angry. I had no reason to be.

“I just need to clear my head...” I thought out loud to myself. I decided to go walk around the big field then when I was ready I would go back to see Zaza. I just needed time to process everything. This was all too much that was shoved at me all at once.

I left the building through the open door, went outside and I didn’t turn back. I was afraid I would see something else, more terrifying than Jane or EJ looking at me through one of the windows. I didn’t need another heart attack.

My original plan was to walk in the field but when I saw the trees I decided to go into the forest. I was more familiar with that landscape and it would put me more at ease. I could pretend I was walking in the woods back at Oregon. I went through the little tunnel in the overgrown bushes and was back in the woods. This helped ease my raging emotions. It put my mind at ease.

I wasn’t sure where I was going but I didn’t really care. As long as I didn’t wander too far I should be good. I wrapped my coat around me and began to think back at everything that had just happened. I still didn’t know what to think about it all. I was relieved to know that Zaza was still alive but I didn’t know how to feel about their “friends”… They were horrifying. What was Papa going to think about them?

 

Papa…

 

_Shit!_

 

I had to go get him!

 

I had to let him know that Zaza was still alive!

 

I looked around me to see if I could recognize where I was. I had to first find my way back to the building then from there I should be able to find my way back to the red bridge and that would point me in the direction of the town. Or maybe I could just go to Zaza and tell them that Papa was also here and that we had to get back to town. I’m sure they would want to see him as soon as possible.

After I walked a bit and had calmed down I turned around and followed my footsteps in the snow back to where Zaza was staying. Back to that creepy looking place that gave me the chills... I didn’t want to go back but I had to speak to Zaza. I had to apologize for my behavior to them. I didn’t give a shit about those monsters. They didn’t deserve an apology from me. If they walk around looking like that then they should have expected such a reaction. They were probably used to it so who cares.

I heard the snow crunch under my feet as I retraced my tracks but something didn’t feel quite right. I felt something and it was close. It was the aura of a person and this person was radiating anger and hatred. I froze. I didn’t want to look around but I knew I had to. I had to locate this person and see if there was any chance of escape. Due to how strong my abilities were, I could detect someone yards away but feel like they were right beside me.

I took a deep breath and did a quick scan of the area but I didn’t see anyone. Whoever was giving off the aura must still be a distance away. _Good_. It gave me more time to escape. I didn’t waste any time. I quickly took off in a sprint and headed in what I thought was the right direction back to Zaza but it wasn’t. I was headed in the exact opposite direction which I only found out when I heard Zaza calling out to me.

“Feronia, where are you going?” I quickly came to a stop and looked around for Zaza. They seemed to be the only one in the immediate area but they weren’t giving off hatred. Their aura was full of worry and concern.

“Zaza! Someone is here with us! We need to leave!” I called out as I ran over to them. When I stood before them I braced myself against them as I tried to catch my breath.

“Baby, what are you talking about?” They asked as they held on to me. I looked up at them and they were very confused.

“Zaza… we have to… we have to go… I sense an aura and it’s not yours. This person is dangerous and we need to leave immediately!”

“Feronia, you need to calm down, alright? We’re safe.”

“No, we’re not! We need to **GO**!” Since Zaza wasn’t taking me seriously I took it upon myself to make them move. I couldn’t risk losing them again. I grabbed onto their sleeve and began to tug them away from the area. I had no clue which direction was the right way back but I took the one that would lead us away from that person.

“Feronia, babe, please. You’re going to make me trip.” They chuckled. They fucking chuckled! This was no laughing matter!

“Zaza, hurry up!”

“Look, I don’t know what you sense but there is no one else here. Look around you.”

“Just because you don’t see or sense them doesn’t mean they aren’t here. I’m telling you, we’re in danger!”

“Okay fine, I believe you. Let’s go going.”

 

_Finally!_

 

Now that Zaza was no longer resisting it made things so much easier. We were walking at a decent pace now but it was still too slow for my liking. I went a little faster which forced Zaza to pick up their speed to keep up with me. They were confused the whole time and so was I. I knew their senses weren’t as strong but how could they not sense this person? Had my ability somehow increased in strength in the last two weeks or something?

We walked for a few minutes and when I saw the bushes that lead back to the old building I felt relieved. Soon we would be safe. I motioned for Zaza to go first while I looked around. Still, there was nothing. What the fuck? Where was this person hiding? It wasn’t like there were any spots as the trees were so thin they wouldn’t be able to hide a person. I didn’t like this...

I looked back at Zaza and they had already made it through the tunnel. I quickly scrambled through and went to join them but before I could even get to my feet I heard Zaza scream which was followed by a thump.


	21. Chapter 21

"Zaza!“ I exclaimed after hearing their scream. I jumped to my feet and looked around for Zaza. I was scared. What had happened? What had caused them to scream? What was that thud? Were they okay? After reuniting with them, I couldn’t risk anything else happening to them. I just wanted to take them back to Papa so we could reunite as a family and hopefully avoid anything else bad happening to us.

I looked around and it didn’t take long to find Zaza. They were a few feet away from me and they were lying on the snow-covered ground with a person standing above them. I recognized him...

 

_It was Jeff..._

 

He was standing over Zaza and I could see a knife in his hand.

" **NO!** “ I called out and without even thinking, I ran toward him and tackled him to the ground. We landed in the snow and he let out a grunt. His knife flew into the snow and when I made a move for it, he grabbed me by my arms and threw me to the ground.

"You are a pain in the ass!“ He growled. I looked up at him in his piercing blue eyes. The eyes that I had inherited... He kicked me in the stomach to make sure I stayed down while he went for his knife but by then, Zaza has recovered and was now standing with the knife tightly in their grasp.

"You will pay for everything you’ve done!“

"Do you really think you can take me down?“ He scoffed when looking at Zaza with the knife. "You could not have recovered to your full strength after a few days. I could easily overpower you and kill you in under a minute. Do you really want to risk getting killed and leaving our poor, darling Feronia with only one parent?“

"What do you mean, 'our‘?“ Zaza snapped. They took a step toward him and jabbed the sharp knife in his direction. "She is _Toby’s_ daughter! Tobias is _her_ father! Not you! How dare you even say such a thing!“ Zaza’s bright green eyes narrowed in anger and I could see their aura turn into a bright red colour. They were pissed off and it looked like they had only one thing on their mind.

 

To kill Jeff.

 

"When will you give up on this nonsense?“ Jeff spat. "She is my daughter! Not that bastard’s! I was the one who created her! Together, you and I made her!“

"I have heard quite enough bullshit from you!" I watched as Zaza suddenly charged at Jeff while holding on to that knife. I could see their knuckles goes white.

Jeff knew what was coming before I did. He moved out of the way and turned just as Zaza rushed past him. They didn‘t expect him to move so quickly so they stumbled a bit and looked as if they were about to fall but they didn’t. Instead, Jeff grabbed them by the arms and threw them to the ground. They landed with a thud and the force was strong enough to knock the air from their lungs. I heard them let out a strangled cough and saw the knife in their hand fly a good few feet away.

"God, you are a pain in the **ASS**!" I saw Jeff reach into his pocket and pull something out. I gasped when I saw what it was. I first saw the gleam of light as the sun hit the metal. I heard the click as he disabled the safety lock and the sound made my heart sink. That sound is what made me realize what he had in hands. I saw him raise it in the direction of Zaza.

" **NO!** " I screamed at the top of my lungs. This made him pause and he looked over at me. "Please! Don’t kill them!" I begged.

"Nothing you can say will save them from this fate."

" **NO!** “ I was about to rush over to try and stop him from killing Zaza but I didn’t have to. Someone else had stopped him before I could even make a move.

All of a sudden, a person came running from the forest behind me and used their full body weight to tackle Jeff to the ground. It happened so fast that I couldn’t tell who this new person was at first but when they landed I could tell that it was my Papa. He and Jeff fell to the ground and he smashed Jeff’s face in the snow. Without eyelids, his eyes were at risk for injury so Papa must have hoped that the sharp snow would do some damage but unfortunately, it didn’t do anything. The only thing that accomplished was pissing off Jeff.

He whipped his arm up and hit Papa right in the jaw. It didn’t hurt Papa as I learned from an early age that he was incapable of feeling any pain but the force was enough to knock him off Jeff. When Papa was off, Jeff got to his feet and kicked Papa in the face to try and slow him down but it didn’t work.

"Nice try asshole!“

"What the hell are you? Why aren’t you in pain?!"

"Because fuck you, that’s why!“ He charged at Jeff for a second time but this time the bastard was ready. He held up the gun and pointed it at Papa. I watched in horror as Papa stopped in his tracks just inches away and Jeff pulled the trigger.

" **TOBY**!" Zaza called out now that they had regained their breath.

" **PAPA!** " I called out at roughly the same time.

Papa staggered a bit from the force of the bullet but managed to stay on his feet. I almost jumped out of my skin when I heard the gunfire. I watched as drops of blood fell to the snow and stained it red. Papa looked down to see where he had been shot and put his hand up to his shoulder. It was just his shoulder. He’d live.

 

He’d live...

 

_Right..?_

 

"How the fuck...?" Jeff breathed in disbelief as he watched Papa. "How are you still standing?!“

"Why should I tell you when you’ll be dead soon?" Papa looked behind Jeff to where Zaza was. They had gotten up from the ground and retrieved the knife that had fallen in the snow.

"Wha-?" Jeff turned his head in the direction Papa was looking at and didn’t have anytime to move as Zaza stabbed him in the chest. He let out a scream of pain and shoved Zaza away from him. "You bitch!" And without warning, he hit them over the head with the gun.

Zaza didn’t even make a sound as they went down. Not even a little whimper of pain. They had been knocked out the moment the gun had made contact with their skull and I swear I could hear it crack.

Papa ran up to him and grabbed him in a bear hug and tried to grab the gun from him but it didn’t work. They struggled for the weapon and I raced over to Zaza to make sure they were still alive. I was scared at first when I approached their lifeless body. I was afraid that they might be dead but when I got beside them I could see the slight rise and fall of their chest.

 

Good.

 

That meant that they were still breathing.

 

That was good.

 

That meant that they were still alive.

 

Good sign.

 

Please keep breathing...

 

I pulled Zaza’s head on my lap to keep their face out of the cold snow then looked over at Papa as he continued to struggle for the gun. The blood from his wound had soaked the whole left side of his hoodie but that wasn’t stopping him. I could tell at this point that Jeff was annoyed that even after being shot, Papa still had his full strength. He didn’t like the fact that Papa was so hard to take down.

 

Too fucking bad for him.

 

"Don’t worry Zaza..." I said looking down at them. They looked so peaceful yet to thin... And the bruises and cuts on their face... God, they looked like they had gone through hell... I hated Jeff more and more the more I studied Zaza’s injuries. How could that asshole do such a thing to them?! "Don’t worry. Papa is going to kill that asshole then the three of us can go back to a normal life... Just the three of us..."

I jumped when I heard another shot go off. I looked over at them and saw that no one had been shot this time. The gun was fired as they struggled for it and it had been pointed at the ground. This fight was going on for too long... I didn’t like it. I just wanted it to end already so we could have Zaza checked out.

I looked back at Zaza and tried to block out the fight. Papa would eventually win. I knew he would. He had to. He had to win for us. I stroked a strand of long brown hair from Zaza’s face and sighed. This is not how I imagined my life would turn out...

Suddenly I felt something. Another aura. A new person. They were close. I looked up at the forest and to my shock and somewhat horror, I saw that woman from the restaurant. Susan. The woman who had been flirting with Papa. _Oh great_. What was she doing here? When she got close enough to see what was going on, she fucking screamed. I didn’t blame her but holy hell lady, what are you even doing here?

Both Papa and Jeff stopped what they were doing momentarily and looked up at her. _Shit_. Jeff punched Papa in the face to stun him then raised his gun up at Susan and fired three times. She screamed and tried to duck in cover but she wasn’t fast enough to avoid those bullets. She screamed as she was hit and she fell to the ground. I could still hear her make sounds of pain after the three shots so she was still alive but the question was, for how long? If she didn’t die from being shot then we would have to kill her to keep her from telling others about this place.

I turned my attention back to Zaza who seemed to be waking up. That was good. I gently nudged their shoulders to try and speed up the process but was stopped when I heard another gunshot ring out. I jumped and turned to see what had happened. I hoped that the bullet had hit the ground again but it didn’t... I would have preferred that but instead, I was met with a horrible, gruesome sight... The sight of Papa’s whole cheek... missing... The left side of his face was completely gone!

 

Just...

 

just GONE!

 

I screamed at the top of my lungs. The sight was horrible! I knew Papa couldn’t feel any pain which sort of comforted me but not really. I wanted to throw up. I saw pieces of flesh hanging from his face and blood was pouring down the side of his neck. Now he was starting to slow down and the only reason was due to the amount of blood he had lost. "P...Papa..." I breathed out. I had no other words. I was in shock. Traumatized could have been another word.

I watched in horror as Papa stumbled a bit then fell to his knees. He looked over at me then fell face first into the snow. My heart stopped. It was like everything was in slow motion. This was just like the time back in Oregon when it looked as if Jeff had killed Zaza but this time the possibility of death was very real. If Papa lost too much blood then he would be dead and it looked as if he did...

Now that Papa was no longer a problem to Jeff, he turned to Zaza and I. I couldn’t do anything as I watched him walk towards us. He ripped Zaza from my arms and threw them to the ground then grabbed me by the arm and yanked me to my feet. "Now what to do with you?"

"Please... Please don’t hurt me..." I pleaded.

"I don’t make promises."

I shrieked as I was thrown to the ground. I got a mouthful of snow which I quickly spat out and looked up at him. He was looming over me and looked down with that terrifying face... The face that always sent chills down my spine... I watched as he pointed his gun right at my head and I began to sob. I tried pleading with him but there was no reasoning now. Nothing was going to stop him from doing whatever the hell he wanted to do. I was going to die. I couldn’t accept that but I knew it was going to happen. I closed my eyes and waited for him to pull the trigger.

We were all going to die here.

"FERONIA!“ My eyes snapped open at the sound of Zaza’s voice. Jeff and I turned to see them sitting up in the snow. They were holding the area of their head where Jeff had hit them. It had to have hurt.

While he was distracted, I decided to take that opportunity to try and take the gun away from him. It was a longshot but I had to try. I could only hope that he was so shocked at seeing Zaza awake that he didn’t have a strong grip on the weapon. I was so very wrong with that assumption. The moment my hand touched his, his grip on the gun tightened and he turned his full attention towards me.

"You pain in the ass! I should just kill you right now!" He tried to pull his hand away from mine but I held on as my life depended on it. Which, it did. "Let go!"

"Eat shit you asshole!"

"Feronia! No! Stop!" Zaza called out but I didn’t listen. I couldn’t stop. I had to get this gun from this psycho to keep him from killing us. With this, we would have the upper hand and he would be dead quickly. Both of my parents were incapable of fighting him so I had to do it. I had to be the one to protect us. Papa had to be dead... No one could have survived this long with two injuries... He had to be... It was now my job to protect Zaza. That duty fell on me and me alone.

I kept struggling for the gun but Jeff didn’t let go. He was much stronger than me but yet he couldn’t push me off. I was determined to win and that determination gave me the strength to fight him on a level playing field. He might have been much taller than me and had more muscle but I had pure hatred running through me. That hatred gave me the power to fight back. I leaned forward and with all of the strength I could muster, I bit down on his arm. I was biting through his hoodie so I had to make sure it was hard enough to hurt him. I didn’t expect to do any serious damage but I hoped it would be enough to stun him or slow him down. Anything would help me at this point. I bit him with all the strength that a human was physically capable of.

 

I bit down so hard that I could taste blood.

 

But was it his blood?

 

Surely I couldn’t have bit his arm that hard.

 

_Right?_

 

The moment I bit into him, there was a gunshot. He had fired the gun but the question was, where did the bullet end up? Surely he wouldn’t have been stupid enough to fire while the gun was pointing at him. Not unless he wanted to die.

The pain didn’t register at first. I couldn’t feel anything. I didn’t even know what had happened. I stopped my fighting and took a step or two away from him. Oddly enough, he didn’t try to kill or even fight me anymore. He just let me be. I could feel his eyes on me as I tried to figure out what had just happened. I saw him take a few steps back and I saw the gun in his hand. It was covered in blood as was his white hoodie. The blood was on his sleeve and a bit on his stomach but it didn’t appear as if he were shot.

If he was the one with the injury then he wouldn’t be standing like anything had happened and the blood stain on his clothes would be a darker red. This looked light and more if he had been sprinkled with blood which wouldn’t be the case if he had been shot. If he didn’t get shot, then where did that blood come from? I got the answer when I looked down at my body. On my stomach was a big blood stain. The blood was quickly soaking through my clothes.

 

I was in shock.

 

It was me.

 

I was the one who was shot.

 

That blood on him...

 

It wasn’t his...

 

_It was mine..._

 

I couldn’t hear anything. My brain was still registering what had happened. I think Zaza was calling out to me but I wasn’t sure. I think I heard their voice but I couldn’t make out any words. Everything was just a blur of colours and sounds.

I looked up at Jeff who was still standing in front of me. Somehow I managed to focus on him but everything else was a blur. I watched as he raised his arm with the gun. Everything was now in slow motion. Was this due to blood loss? Or was it shock? Both? I didn’t know. All I knew was that he had raised the gun and it was now pointed at me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see movement. It was rushing towards Jeff and he noticed it too. He turned his head in the direction of the movement and I could barely make out Zaza’s form as they charged at him. Quickly, he fired again before they got to him.

I still didn’t feel any pain. I felt a pressure which I assumed was the bullet piercing my body. There was a slight stinging but it was barely noticeable. That had to have been from the heat. The bullet would have been very hot after being fired at such a high speed.

I looked down and saw even more blood come from my stomach. I staggered forward as my legs were now weak. I was losing so much blood and I didn’t even know where it was all coming from. I knew it was mine but I didn’t know where I had been shot.

 

I took one final step then collapsed in the snow.


	22. Chapter 22

I felt cold.

 

It didn’t feel like the usual cold feeling you got when the temperature around you begins to drop.

 

No.

 

It didn’t feel like the surface of my body was cold. It felt like I was chilled to the very core. It was like the cold originated inside of me. It was a strange feeling. I had never felt like that before. On top of that, I felt weak. I wasn’t sure if I could even move a finger. Was I even able to open my eyes? Only one way to find out.

I tried to open my eyes but just moving my eyelids, no matter how slight, was a task for me. This was such a weird feeling. It was like I had no strength at all in my body. Was I dead? Was my body dead but my brain was still functioning? How long would this last? How much longer would my brain continue to live? Is this what death was like? What was going to happen to me? Was the world suddenly going to go blank? Would my consciousness just stop? Or would there be something more? Would I still remain conscious and traverse the world as a ghost? Would I see a bright light? Wouldn’t that have happened already? I had so many questions that it made my head hurt.

I felt drowsy. I was tired but my eyes were already closed. My brain just needed to calm down so I could get some rest but that didn’t seem like it was going to happen anytime soon. It was _frustrating_. I just wanted to go to sleep so I didn’t have to think about any of this right now.

 

Brain, just let me _sleep_.

 

Unless...

 

Was my brain so active because it was using up the rest of its energy and this was the final step before death? I was getting scared. I didn’t know what was happening to me and that frightened me.

Over a period of time, my thoughts finally began to calm down. If my body had allowed it, I was sure my breathing would have sped up but I was in too much pain. I was afraid of what was about to happen next. Was this it? Was I finally going to die? Had my brain used up the last of its oxygen and energy?

 

I didn’t even get to say goodbye to my parents...

 

I didn’t get to say goodbye to Zaza...

 

If I died then would I see Papa again? The last time I saw him, he didn’t look alive at all... He had to be dead... He had to be and I hoped I was going to be able to reunite with him... I was never a believer in the afterlife but I hoped it was real. I wanted it to be.. I needed it to be... I needed to see Papa again... I might not have been able to say goodbye to Zaza but whatever happened to them, I knew they would live a good life...

 

It was my time to go now...

 

I was going to die and reunite with Papa and wherever we went, we would be together until it was Zaza’s time. Then, the three of us would all reunite as a family and we could be together forever. I guess the good thing about dying was that we would no longer have a concept of time. To Zaza, decades would pass before they could see us again but to Papa and me, it would only be a second. I drifted off and thought about seeing them again.

 

I couldn’t wait.

 

But that didn’t happen.

 

I didn’t reunite with Papa. The world was just dark. Nothing happened. To me, it felt like no time at all had passed but I soon realized that days had gone by.

Finally, I was able to open my eyes. When I did, the world was bright. So bright that I couldn’t even see. All I saw was the light. Was I dead? Was this the bright light that people always talk about in movies and books? It must have been... There was no other explanation...

 

Or so I thought.

 

I blinked my eyes a few times until my vision cleared up. The light died down until I could make out some colours and shapes and after a few more blinks I was able to see clearly. I squinted as my eyes adjusted to the room around me. The room was spacious but not that big. It only appeared to be large because it had three pieces of furniture. As for the light, well now that I could see, I knew why I saw nothing but white when I first opened my eyes. This room had a large window right in the center of one wall and two smaller windows on either side of it. That wall of windows was directly to my right.

 

Why would a building need so much light? It was starting to give me a headache...

 

I let out a small groan as I came to. I felt dizzy and sick. It was like I hadn’t eaten in decades... but I wasn’t thirsty or at least as thirsty as I should have been. That was strange. I processed the world around me and when I looked over to my right, I could see an IV connected to my arm and the bag was hung up on the bedpost. Whoever had taken care of me either brought a doctor here or had intensive medical knowledge. It made me wonder who was responsible for helping me.

I wanted to call out to whoever could hear me. I wanted to, first of all, thank the person for saving me but I also wanted to find out where the hell I was. I wanted to know what had happened to not only me but to my parents. Were they okay? Did... Did Jeff kill them..? Papa had to be dead... That gunshot to the face... There was no way he could have survived that... Just thinking about the sight of Papa made me cry. I could feel the tears form in my eyes and they poured down my face and quickly soaked the pillow beneath my head.

“Hey... It’s okay...” I heard a comforting voice come from the door and whoever had spoken was right beside me in a matter of seconds. I watched a dark figure rush around the bed over to me and crouch down to my height. I recognized this person. I remembered the white face and those dark eyes. It was Jane. “It’s about time you woke up.”

“Where... Where am I..?”

“You’re at our home. The asylum. It has been abandoned for many years and we took it over about sixteen years ago. Maybe closer to seventeen now. It’s not much but it’s home for us. Given our situation, we can’t be picky about what we call home.”

“My... My parents...”

“Don’t worry. They are just fine.” My eyes went wide. _They_. She used a plural word. Both of them... Both of them were fine? But.. but how?

“Both?”

“Yes. Your Zaza and Papa are both just fine.” Jane explained. She took my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “They are both in a different room. Lou is looking after your father right now but I can go get them if you’re feeling up to it.”

“Yes please...”

“Alright. Hang tight and I’ll be right back.” She got up from the crouching position but just before she could walk away I made a sound that stopped her in her tracks.

“Wait...”

“Yes?”

“I wanted to say... I’m sorry for my behaviour... The last time we saw each other... I don’t know what came over me... but it wasn’t right... I know that Zaza was disappointed in me...”

“Oh don’t worry about it. I get it. I’m just so beautiful you just couldn’t handle it. You aren’t the first person to react that way and certainly won’t be the last.” She giggled then left the room. Well, that was an unexpected reaction. I was expecting her to be a bit more serious but as it turned out, she was a really happy and fun loving person who didn’t hold a grudge. Judging from her appearance, she didn’t look like that type of person at all. She looked like the type of person who wouldn’t hesitate to kill you if you just looked at her wrong. I guess the phrase; don’t judge a book by its cover is true.

I waited in the spacious bed for Zaza to arrive. I was anxious for some reason. Why was I anxious? Why should I feel anxious to see Zaza again? It was my Zaza. I knew them. I had no reason to feel this way. I held my breath when I heard the door open. I didn’t turn to see Zaza enter. I still couldn’t believe that they were actually alive. That night in the woods, back in Oregon... I truly believed that they had been killed...

“Hey baby girl,” Zaza said in their hushed and soothing voice. They sat beside me on the bed and began to stroke my messy brown hair. I looked up at them and saw that they had a sad smile on their face. I noticed the bruises and cuts on them looked to have healed a bit from the last time I saw them. The cut on their lip looked as if the scab was getting ready to fall off. The last time I saw them, the scab then looked like it had just formed. How long was I out for?!

“Zaza... How...How long..?”

“How long since the attack? It’s been a few days. How many isn’t important.” That irritated me but I let them continue. “The only thing that matters is that you are alive. At first, we were worried that you wouldn’t make it but you did. You beat all odds and recovered from your wounds.” They took my hand in theirs and held back tears.

“And... Jeff..?”

“Don’t worry about him. He’s dead. He is never going to hurt us again.”

I wanted to cry right then and there. I was so relieved that he was gone and that we would never have to worry about him again. I was relieved but also angry. I was still angry at him for everything he had done to us even though he was dead. How dare he do such a thing to us. I guess it was good that he was now dead but part of me wished he wasn’t. I wished he was still alive so we could make him suffer. He deserved to be tortured for the rest of his life.

Instead of crying, I just took a deep breath and nodded. “And Papa..?”

This question made Zaza pause. I knew he couldn’t be dead because Jane said he wasn’t... But... But did she tell me the truth..? Did she just lie to me so she wouldn’t make me feel worse? Did she want Zaza to tell me the horrible truth? I knew her telling me that Papa was alive was too good to be true.

“Papa... He...” I wasn’t liking this. The way they were speaking. The hesitation in their voice... This could only mean one thing. I held my breath as I waited for their response. They took a deep breath then continued. “Papa... was badly injured... He was only shot twice but the second bullet... It did a lot of damage... to his face...” That much I knew. I remembered seeing that. The memory flashed before my eyes. It was horrible. I remembered the pieces of flesh hanging from his face and the blood... The blood... It poured down his neck like a waterfall...

“Zaza... be honest with me... Is Papa... Is he...? Is he _dead_..?”

“No! No, he isn’t. Thankfully, he is still alive. I don’t know how as he lost a lot of blood but he is alive.”

“He shouldn’t be... Not after what I saw...”

“I know... After you were safe I went to check on him and I was horrified at the sight... I don’t think I need to go into detail about it...”

“No... I saw...” When Zaza heard that they had a pained look on their face. I was their child. They wanted to protect me in any way they could so to hear that I had seen what happened to Papa bothered them. I shouldn’t have seen that.

“Yeah... well... He is alive but he is in bad shape... My friend EJ is looking after both of you and he said that it is a miracle that he survived.”

“How did he manage to live?”

“I gave him some blood which helped greatly. EJ said we had given it to him just in time.”

“What about... What about his injury? Was your friend able to fix it..?”

My heart sank when Zaza shook their head. “I’m afraid not... There was just too much damage to fix him up. All EJ could do was stop the bleeding...”

“So... Papa... He...”

“He’s disfigured... yes... But that’s not the end of the world. He’s still with us. He just looks a little different, that’s all. He will still be the same goofball that you’ve known all your life and when he’s better and back on his feet then everything will go back to normal.”

“He’ll just look different...”

“Yeah... He looks different but he’s still our Toby. Alright?” I nodded and they brought one of my hands up to their lips and kissed it. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired...”

“I bet. You lost a lot of blood. Are you thirsty?”

“A bit.”

“I’m going to prop your head up a bit alright? Tell me if anything hurts.” I nodded and Zaza reached over to the empty side of the bed and grabbed one of the pillows. They then carefully lifted up my head and shoulders and tucked the pillow underneath me. I hissed in pain but didn’t tell Zaza to stop. I knew it would be over soon.

When I was settled, Zaza picked up a cup from the side table that had a straw in it and held it up to my lips. I wrapped my dry and cracked lips around the straw and sucked up the cool liquid the cup contained. Water had never been so satisfying to me before. My throat was so dry because all of my liquids had been given to me through a small tube in my arm. The water was so sweet. I couldn’t stop drinking it. I only stopped when Zaza pulled the cup away which caused me to let out a whine of protest.

“That’s enough for now baby.” They chuckled and set the cup back on the table. “We don’t want to overload your stomach.”

“But Zaza, it’s water!” I protested. “It’s not like it will upset my stomach if I have too much if there’s even such a thing.”

“Yeah but your stomach hasn’t had anything in a few days. You need to start slow and work your way up or else you’ll throw up.”

“Fine.” I pouted. This made Zaza laugh. I smiled. It felt like it had been forever since I heard that laugh. I missed that laugh. “Zaza, can I ask you something?” I asked when Zaza had calmed down.

“Sure.”

“What happened to you after that night back home? In Oregon... I’m assuming Jeff was the one who brought you here. What happened to you? Was he the one who... who did _this_..?” I gestured to their injuries when I asked the question. They tensed up and looked away. They were avoiding eye contact with me. That could only mean one thing. I was right. “I’m right... Aren’t I..?”

“I should let you get some rest. You are still weak.” They got up from the bed and I noticed them play with a strand of their long brown hair. That was something they did when they were nervous about something...

“I’m right. I know I am. I know you Zaza. You are very easy to read.”

“ _Feronia_.” They were speaking in a warning tone. They wanted me to drop the subject and I knew that if I pushed any further then they would explode. What had Jeff done to them that made them react this way? From what I could see, he did quite a bit of damage but I had a feeling that was just the tip of the iceburg... Did I really want to know what he did to Zaza in detail? If it was as bad as I thought it was then maybe I didn’t... He was a monster so I could only imagine what hell he had put Zaza through...

“I’m sorry... Forget I asked...” I turned my head away from Zaza and went silent. I was an idiot for asking... I should have known this was a sensitive topic. What was I thinking?!

“I’ll come back to check on you later. Try to get some rest...” They leaned down and kissed my forehead before leaving the room. When they closed the door I sighed. They seemed to have forgiven me but I didn’t forgive myself. Why was I so stupid and asked what had happened? I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Worrying over this wasn’t going to do me any good. I had already apologized to Zaza but when they returned I was going to apologize again. It felt like the right thing to do.

I closed my eyes and tried to get some sleep. My body needed it. I wasn’t sure just how serious my injuries were but from the amount of pain I was in, I could tell it was pretty bad. Now I was curious about my injuries. What happened?

I thought back to that day, however long ago it was and I could remember Jeff holding a gun. I remember seeing it and I freaked out. I... I tried to take it from him... Looking back, I knew it was a stupid move but in that moment, I felt like it was something that had to be done. In that moment, I knew that it was either him or me and I certainly wasn’t the type to go down without a fight.

Thank God Papa didn’t witness that. He would have lost his mind but just because he didn’t see it happen didn’t mean I was off the hook. I knew that the moment he was well enough and found out, I was going to get an ear full. I had to brace myself for that. Hell, I was shocked that Zaza didn’t say anything. It must have been because I was still recovering. Maybe they were waiting for Papa to heal and together they would gang up on me for that dumbass decision.

 

If that was the case then I couldn’t wait...


	23. Chapter 23

I spent the next few days in bed as I recovered. I was told that I had lost a lot of blood. I wasn’t told how much but it was enough to make me pass out and keep me out for days. I wondered how I was able to survive. Just one bullet can do some serious damage to a person, especially if it penetrates the abdomen and I had been shot twice. I don’t know much about guns but I know enough that the one Jeff used was quite powerful for a handgun.

It made me wonder if Zaza’s friend has some supernatural powers. That was the only thing that made sense to me and after everything I’ve seen, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibilities... That guy, EJ looked supernatural to me. If he had some sort of magical powers then he could have easily saved me. If not, I couldn’t think of any reasonable explanation of how I managed to survive. We are in the middle of nowhere with probably, next to no medical equipment and there would have been no time to go get a doctor and come back in time to save me. All of this was really strange to me.

I did ask Jane how I was saved one time when she came to change my bandages but she just shrugged. Her excuse was that she wasn’t there to see EJ treat me so she wasn’t sure how I was treated. Even if she wasn’t there, she must have known so why wasn’t she telling me? Why wasn’t anyone telling me anything? I was able to get loads of information about Papa but I was told next to nothing about my own health... It made me suspicious.

 

_What were they hiding?_

 

I adjusted myself in bed to a proper sitting position when Zaza entered the room. They were holding a bowl of soup which was all my stomach was able to handle at the moment. Slowly but surely I was working my way up and was able to eat a bigger variety of things.

They sat on the bed beside me and placed the bowl on my lap. I held on to it and with one hand, took the spoon with the other and began to sip away at the soup. It was simple vegetable soup which seemed to be a bit watered down but my stomach was grateful for any bit of food I got.

“Hey, Zaza?” I asked after I took the last sip of soup. Zaza looked up at me and after I placed the spoon in the bowl, they took it and placed it on the table beside the bed. “How come you guys aren’t telling me what happened that day when Jeff attacked?”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh come on Zaza! You know what I mean!”

“Feronia, why are you so worked up over this?”

“I just want to know how EJ managed to save my life.”

“He’s a very skilled doctor.”

“You can be the most skilled surgeon in the world but no one could have saved me that day without some sort of magic powers. Those bullets were big and powerful and they tore right through my flesh. I don’t have to look at my injuries to know that they would have done major damage to me! I just want to know what happened. Something happened because everyone is being very evasive to my questions. Was it you who told them to keep quiet? And why? What could have happened that you want to keep from me?”

“Feronia, why do you think we are keeping something from you?”

“Well that’s simple. Every time I ask about my injuries, even how they are healing, everyone avoids the question and quickly changing the topic but when I ask about Papa, I get enough responses to fill a bookshelf!” This made Zaza pause. They looked to their left and watched the naked trees without their leaves dancing in the wind. I knew they were hiding something. I could see them trying to think of a response that would satisfy me yet hide the truth. “Why can’t you tell me the truth? What happened?”

“It’s... _complicated_...”

“The story of how my life was saved is complicated? Zaza! That makes _no_ sense!”

“You wouldn’t understand...”

“What wouldn’t I understand? It can’t be any more complicated than all of this secrecy that’s going on! If anything, it would clear a bunch of things up for me!” I waited for Zaza to answer but they didn’t. They just kept looking out the window with a strange look on their face. It was one I couldn’t really read but I could still read their aura. My power wasn’t as strong as before as I had been injured but it was enough that I could tell Zaza was conflicted. They had a bunch of emotions swirling around inside them as they thought of a response.

As angry as I was, I let them take their time. I didn’t want to push them because that would have increased the risk of them snapping and if that happened, then I wouldn’t be getting any answers. I waited as the minutes went by but still nothing. With each passing minute, it became more and more obvious that they weren’t going to say anything. I decided to change the subject to lower the tension in the room.

“So what about Papa? How is he doing? Jane said that he is awake.”

“Yeah. He’s awake. He woke up two days ago and luckily, there was no brain damage.”

“Why would there have been brain damage? EJ said that his cheek was injured. The bullet didn’t go anywhere near his brain.”

“No, it didn’t but he did lose a lot of blood. If one loses enough then it could lead to brain damage because the brain is deprived of oxygen but luckily, we gave him my blood in time.”

“So how is he? Can he eat?”

“A little, but only a few spoonfuls of soup at a time. He went longer than you without food so his stomach needs a bit more time to adjust but other than that, he’s doing alright. He’s still the same Toby.”

“Can I see him?”

Zaza paused. “I don’t think now is a good time. He still needs to rest...”

“I’m well enough to walk. I can go over to his room. I want to see him.”

“I... I just don’t think that’s a good idea... He is very badly injured and he’s still going in and out of consciousness...”

“Zaza... I know how badly he was hurt. I saw it happen. I know the extent of the injuries. You aren’t protecting me by keeping me from seeing him. I don’t need you to protect me. I just want to see my father. If he’s well enough for you to see him, then why can’t I?”

Zaza actually had to stop and think about this. They looked at me then looked away again. I waited anxiously for them to respond. “I... I just think it would be best that you wait until he is a bit stronger...Although I do admit I did want to protect you... Even with a patch on his face, it’s still not a pleasant sight to see...”

“But you can see him.”

“That’s because I am the one who is looking after him.” They explained. “EJ can’t be rushing between both you and him all of the time and he has other work he has to do. He showed me what to do so I can properly care for him when he isn’t around.”

“And by things I assume you mean, killing people.”

Zaza nodded. “Yeah but that shouldn’t come as a surprise to you.”

“No, it isn’t. I expected as much.”

“Well, I am going to let you rest. I’ll come by later with dinner.”

“Okay.” Zaza kissed my forehead then left the room. I watched as they left and sighed. I didn’t understand them. Why would they want to protect me from seeing Papa’s injuries when they and Papa have trained me to kill people? They trained me to take a life but apparently seeing my Papa injured would be too much for me.

_Bullshit_.

 

After I was sure Zaza was far enough away from the room, I threw the covers to the side and dropped my feet off the side of the bed. The movement hurt every inch of my body. It felt as if those two bullets ripped open every organ inside of me. God, _how_ was I still alive? If I was given pain killers through the IV then they weren’t that strong. I was going to need more but first, I had to see Papa. I just needed to see him to know that he was alright. I needed that reassurance.

I took some deep breaths and mentally prepared myself for the pain that was to come. If just moving to the edge of the bed hurt, I could only imagine how bad standing was going to be. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in. I braced myself and stood up while letting the air out of my lungs.

 

I wanted to scream.

 

I wanted to drop back on the bed and curl up in a ball of pain. But I didn’t. Instead, I sucked it up and staggered forward. I gripped my shirt with one hand and pressed down as if that would help with the pain and shifted my feet in very small steps. I was in so much pain that I couldn’t even lift my feet. I could feel my socks charging my body with electricity as I dragged my feet on the worn out rug.

I took a few steps over to the wall and leaned against it. If I didn’t then I would have fallen to the ground. I felt so weak. It was partly due to the simple diet of soup and water and not leaving the bed for who knows how long. It must have been at least a week but I assumed it was longer than that. It had to be.

I wondered if Steve had reported us missing as we haven’t been back at the RV in some time. Maybe, maybe not. He didn’t know us that well so why would he bother with reporting us missing? What could the sheriffs of a small town do anyway? They knew next to nothing on us but being from a small town the people would be concerned about everyone. Well, I couldn’t be concerned with that. I just wanted to see my Papa.

I took some deep breaths that weren’t that different than ones a woman in labour might make. When I was ready, I gently pushed away from the wall and stood up straight. It hurt so badly that I just wanted to sit down. I pushed through the pain and slowly made my way over to the bedroom door and pulled it open. I went slowly to keep the noise at a minimum as it was a very old door with very old hinges. Even oil wasn’t going to be enough to fix them.

With some patients, I opened the door just enough for me to slip out and I left the room. I was out but now I had to find Papa. I had no clue which room he was in but luckily for me, there wasn’t that many to choose from. My only concern now was, what if Zaza was in the room with him? I could only hope they went out to get some fresh air. They never liked being cooped up for so long. If they didn’t get out for a walk or two a day they would lose their mind.

I shifted my way down the hall to the room beside mine. I hoped that Papa was in there. Only one way to find out. I turned the knob and pushed open the door. The hinges creaked but it wasn’t terribly loud. I prayed that it was quiet enough that the others didn’t hear it. I went into the room as quickly as I could and closed the door behind me then turned to face the bed.

This room was much smaller than the one I was staying in. A lot smaller. There was just enough room for bunk beds and for a person to just barely walk comfortably beside them. I would never understand why these rooms were so small but I guess killers don’t need that much. If they spent most of their time stalking and killing then they would just need a room big enough to sleep in.

I looked over at the bottom bed and saw a figure lying in it. It was dark but there was just enough light shining through the old, torn up fabric used as a makeshift curtain to make out the face. The person was pale looking and had a mess of short and wavy brown hair.

 

_It was Papa._

 

I watched as his chest rose and fell slowly as he slept. He was alive. I still had to pinch myself to believe it. After what I saw... I shook my head to get rid of that awful memory and carefully approached the bed.

I could hear Papa’s soft snoring. That always made me giggle. He claims that he doesn’t snore but of course, that’s a lie. I don’t know why he denies it so strongly. I giggled when he made a particularly loud sound and shuffled over to the bed. I looked down at him and saw the peaceful look on his face as he slept.

For a moment, it looked like nothing had happened. It was as if he was just taking a nap... But this wasn’t just a nap. This was him trying to recover from being shot... twice... I could see that the blanket was only pulled halfway up his chest so I could see the cotton strips wrapped around his shoulder to keep the gauze in place. That wound wasn’t life-threatening. The one on his face, however... That did the most damage...

I braced myself before I let my eyes drift up to his face. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to see the damage but ready or not, I saw it. Most of it was covered up by gauze that was held in place with more cotton strips. The cotton was wrapped around most of his face. He looked more like a mummy from ancient Egypt than my Papa...

When I looked closer I could see some blood leaking through the gauze and cotton. He needed them changed and the wound cleaned but I didn’t know anything about first aid. I thought about going to find someone who knew what to do but I was in so much pain that I didn’t feel up to it. All I felt like doing was to sit on the bed beside him and just be with him so that’s what I did.

The blood wasn’t spreading that quickly which told me the wound wasn’t that bad. Waiting a bit wouldn’t kill him.

I got comfortable next to him on the small bed and sighed. I wished this hadn’t happened. I wanted to rewind time back to when we were still living in Oregon. If I could then maybe I could prevent this from happening but since Jeff was so determined to ruin our lives then he would have attacked sooner or later... All of this couldn’t have been avoided no matter what but I still wished we could go back in time.

I stroked some of Papa’s hair off his face and gently kissed his forehead. He groaned but didn’t wake up. He was still weak and his body still needed more time to heal. Even though Zaza gave him blood he was still going to be out of it for a while... If not from blood loss then surely from the pain medication that was being pumped into his body via the IV.

“Papa... please get better... _Please_...” I whispered. My lips brushed against the skin of his forehead. I tilted my head down slightly and pressed our foreheads together. He made a few more sounds but still didn’t wake up. I nuzzled his face a bit and held back tears. I was getting all emotional now as I thought about how close he was to dying. He wasn’t dead but he was close... Just how close, I don’t know... and I didn’t want to know... He was alive and that’s all that mattered...

I sat up when I heard the doorknob turn. I looked over at the door and watched as it opened. I held my breath and prepared myself for an angry Zaza who would tell me that I should be in bed but I got lucky. It wasn’t Zaza who had just entered the room. It was their friend, EJ.

He was surprised to see me and I was very surprised to see him. Well, scared actually. He wasn’t wearing that blue mask he had on when I met him. As creepy as that mask looked, I wished he had kept it on because I was not prepared for what I saw. I almost screamed but I was so scared that no sound came out. Not even a whimper. I just froze and my jaw felt like it hit the floor.

 

_He..._

_He had no eyes!_

_Just..._

 

Just empty black sockets where his eyes should be and his skin was grey...

 

It was like he was in the middle of decomposing or something... I remember hearing that skin can turn grey during decomposition. He was frightening to look at... I think I was close to pissing myself.

“If you don’t close your mouth then a bug is gonna lay eggs in it or something.” He said in a flat voice. It sounded like he was bored or something. He must have gotten this reaction quite a bit to react like that.

His statement snapped me out of my shock and I closed my mouth. He calmly walked over to the bed and I noticed he was holding a bag. He set it on the bed beside me and opened it up to reveal medical supplies. “Are you here to change Papa’s bandages?” I asked in a timid voice and he nodded.

“Yup. I come by to change them when Lou isn’t here.”

“Where is Zaza if they aren’t here?”

“Not sure. Normally they just walk around the yard but this time they vanished into the woods which is a little strange but whatever. They are an adult who can go wherever they want.” He shrugged. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I want to get closer to make my life easier. Do you mind?”

“Oh. No. Sorry.” I stood up and walked around him to the end of the bed where I sat down again. Each little movement absolutely killed me but I didn’t want to show that side of me to him. I didn’t want to show weakness in front of a stranger. He might have been Zaza’s friend but he was still a stranger to me.

He might have noticed that I was acting a bit strange but he didn’t say anything. Maybe he thought it wasn’t his place or something. Instead, he turned to Papa and began to unwrap the cotton strips. It took a bit of time as they were covering most of his face but soon the last piece was pulled away and the gauze pad underneath came off with it. That was when I saw the full detail of his injury.

 

I gasped.

 

It was worse than I thought. I mean... What I saw was pretty bad already but this... This looked _horrible!_

His whole cheek was... was _gone_... There was absolutely no skin there! I could see his teeth clearly and even his gums on both the top and bottom! Just under the gums is where the skin was but the ends were burned. That’s no surprise as a bullet is fast enough to generate heat but it is also fast enough to basically explode anything it comes in contact with which in this case, just happened to be my Papa’s face...

“I know this looks bad but he will be just fine,” EJ said. He sounded sorry. He felt bad for me. I could see it in his aura. “I can assure you that he won’t feel any pain. I gave him enough medication that he will be out for most of the healing process.”

“He doesn’t need it...”

“What? Are you kidding? You see his face, right?”

I shook my head. “No. My Papa literally _cannot_ feel pain. It’s some sort of medical condition that he’s had, I think, all of his life. I don’t even know what it’s called but I know that no matter what the injury, he won’t feel any pain.”

“Well that explains why he didn’t start screaming when I started to treat him but I thought that was because of shock.”

“No... He can’t feel pain...”

“Well that’s good to know but I think I’ll still give him something to keep him sedated. It will help his body heal faster if he’s unconscious.”

I watched as he cleaned the wound, applied a fresh gauze pad then wrapped his head up with more cotton strips. He did this quickly. He knew what he was doing. It was like it was routine for him.

“Say, did you treat my injuries?”

“Eh, yes and no.”

“What does that mean?”

“At first, yes. Brian and I treated you the best we could but there was so much damage. Those two bullets basically exploded every organ they touched.”

“Well you managed to save me. How did you do it?”

“We didn’t do anything.” That got my attention.

I tilted my head to the side in curiosity. “What do you mean? You did something as I’m still here.”

“Brian and I aren’t the ones who saved you...”

“Then who did? Who do I have to thank?”

“ _That, my child, would be me._ ” I jumped when I heard this new voice. Along with the voice, I heard static crackling around my ears. That was strange. It could have come from some old electronic device but I didn’t see any when I entered the room and this was too strong to come from a TV or something. It was like it was originating inside of my head, just like that voice... But... But that couldn’t be right. That was _impossible_.

I looked around to see where the person was standing and naturally, my first instinct was to look behind me where the door was. When I turned my head, I got the shock of my life. This was more terrifying than seeing EJ without his mask.

Standing only a few feet away from us was a tall figure who was so tall that he or it had to bend down slightly. He was too tall to stand comfortably in the room. I looked up at his face but... there was no face... it was white with no features...

 

I screamed at the top of my lungs.


	24. Chapter 24

I completely forgot about the pain. This faceless figure was so terrifying that I had to get away from it. I scrambled back on the bed to try and get away from this... this _thing_! My screams were so loud that the sound was bouncing off the walls of the small room and I think I woke up Papa but I didn’t look at him. I actually forgot he was in the room with me.

“Hey kid, calm down!” I could faintly hear EJ say to me but I had tunnel vision. All I could focus on was the horror that stood before me. He grabbed my arm and tried to pull me near the edge of the bed but I fought again him. I thrashed about, trying to fight him off so I could press myself against the wall but he didn’t let me. He kept on pulling on my arm and when I was close enough, he grabbed my other arm and yanked me toward him. I hit his chest so suddenly that it threw me off balance which he took advantage of. He wrapped one arm around my torso and the other hooked under my legs and in one swift movement, he lifted me off the bed. “Are you going to calm down now?!”

“You are all monsters! Stay away from me! Let me go!” I screamed at him but he didn’t. He kept a tight grip on me and when he put me on his lap he wrapped his arms around me and squeezed as tightly as he could without killing me. I tried to hit him to get him to release me but he didn’t. My fist did make contact with his face sometimes but he didn’t say anything. I wasn’t sure if he was like Papa and couldn’t feel pain or maybe he was so used to getting hurt that my punches didn’t really affect him. Either way, he wasn’t letting me go.

“I’m not releasing you until you calm down!” He said in a loud and stern voice that wasn’t exactly yelling but it was borderline. It startled me and that was enough to shut me up although I kept struggling in his grasp. I heard him sigh and he squeezed me a little but tighter. It was so tight I felt like I was unable to take in a full breath of air.

I sighed in defeat. He had won. Now I just wanted him to let me go before I suffocated to death. I stopped struggling and went still. He waited a few seconds and when he was certain that I wasn’t about to start fighting again, he loosened his grip on me then completely released me.

“ _Are we done with that nonsense now?_ ”

“I think so...” EJ said and looked at me suspiciously.

I was looking at the ground. I couldn’t face those two. I was still a bit scared to look at EJ knowing that he didn’t have any eyes and I knew that if I looked at this new thing in the room that I would start screaming again.

“ _Good_.” I didn’t have to look up at this thing to know that it was straightening itself out. “ _I am glad to finally meet you_. _The last time I saw you, you were on the brink of death_.” So he was there on the day that Papa and I got shot?

“Who...Who are you..?” my voice was shaking. I was so scared. What was he going to do to me? He didn’t seem like a friendly figure at all. How could he be when he didn’t have a fucking face!?

“ _You can call me, Slenderman. That is what everyone else refers to me as. It’s either that or Boss but you don’t work for me, yet_.”

“Boss, no. You _can’t_ be serious!” EJ said in a hushed tone. “Lou would _never_ allow it!”

“ _Their approval doesn’t matter. If the girl wants to work for me then that is her choice. Lou has no say in it_.”

“W-Work for you..?”

“You don’t have to agree to anything. He is always looking for a new proxy but you don’t have to become one if you don’t want to.”

“ _It would be a waste of your potential_.”

“My... My potential..?”

“Boss, what are you talking about? She’s fifteen! What potential!?”

“ _I observed her when she made her first kill_.” Even though EJ didn’t have eyes, I could feel his gaze on me. “ _It wasn’t the best as she could have gotten killed but there is plenty of room for improvement which I can help with. If the girl chooses_.”

“She’s too young-”

“ _Nonsense! BEN is younger than her_.”

“But he’s dead! He doesn’t age! I know for a fact that Lou would not approve with this!”

“ _But at the end of the day, I don’t need anyone’s permission but hers_.”

“I... I am not going to ever work for you...” I tried my best to sound strong but it didn’t work. I was still shocked from seeing this thing known as Slenderman...

_“I am the one who saved your life. How can you say no after all I’ve done for you_?”

I didn’t have any time to respond or to make an argument. The room went dark and I could no longer hear a single sound. I was sure EJ said something but it was quickly drowned out by silence. An _eerie_ silence. It was the silence that surrounded the dead...

The world went pitch black and silent but I soon saw a faint light ahead of me. It was a small and dim speck in the distance but I saw it. I wasn’t sure what to do. My only option was to go towards the light so that is what I did.

I walked on nothing. It didn’t feel like I was moving but I was because the light was slowly growing brighter and brighter with each step I took. It felt weird. It was like I was walking in some kind of void or something. Eventually, I got so close that the light embraced me and my vision blurred as my eyes tried adjusting to the brightness. It took a few seconds but soon I could see clearly and I saw that I was standing in a forest.

It didn’t look like any place I had been before. I knew the forest back at Oregon like the back of my hand and I knew this spot didn’t look at all familiar. Maybe it could have been the forest here, the one that surrounded Kingston but I doubted that. These trees looked different and they were too spaced out. Not only that, but the trunks were thicker than those trees. This was a different forest.

 

_But was this a real place?_

 

It looked like it was night time because there was a blue-ish glow that would only be given off by moonlight but it looked too bright. It was as if the moon was just as bright as the sun. This was crazy. That couldn’t be possible.

“W...Where am I..?” The only response I got was the rustling of leaves as the wind around me picked up. It howled. It was so loud that I felt like my ears were going to explode but I didn’t feel cold like I expected with a heavy wind. _Strange_. With wind this strong, I should have felt a chill but I didn’t. My body remained at a comfortable temperature.

When the wind died down I scanned the area again. I tried to figure out what had happened and where I was. I hoped to find someone else who could possibly answer my questions but I was alone out here. I turned around in circles as I desperately tried to find someone, anyone but to no avail. I made one last turn and as I did, I saw something in the corner of my eye. I paused and turned to look at the area again but whatever I saw, it was gone by the time I looked back. “What the fuck?”

Now I was starting to get scared. I took some deep breaths as I tried not to panic. That wouldn’t do me any good. I just had to stay calm. None of this was real. It couldn’t be because I was just with Papa and EJ. Did that Slenderman person take me somewhere? It was possible but I didn’t think so.

“This has to be a dream...” I said to myself as I let out a breath I had been holding for too long. “This is just a dream... I just fainted due to fear... Yeah... That has to be it...”

I closed my eyes as I took in a nice, deep breath and when I opened them I was so scared I wanted to pass out. Carved in the bark of a tree only a few feet away from me, was a very familiar symbol... It was a circle with a big X... That was the same symbol I had seen in my dream...

 

_Was..._

_Was this the same dream..?_

 

Now that I thought about it, this forest did look the same as the one from that dream... Was my brain taking me back to that place in another dream?

My heart stopped when I heard a twig snap. I looked in the direction where the sound came from and I jumped. I screamed, once again, at the top of my lungs and I could feel my soul leaving my body. Standing before me was Slenderman. Now in the woods, he was able to stand upright as there was to ceiling trapping him. I could see that he was at least eight feet tall which just made him seem even more creepy if that was even possible.

“ _Please don’t start this again..._ ” His voice echoed in my head. He sounded... annoyed... “ _I already had to deal with Lou acting this way when they first saw me. I don’t need the same behaviour from you too..._ ”

“How can I not freak out when you look... the way you do...” I felt calmer now. I don’t know why because I was still very scared. I assumed that he was using some kind of magic power to manipulate my feelings to get me to calm down.

“ _Your species are so fragile, in many different ways. You are weak in body and mind but if Lou can overcome that then I know you can too and you will have to if you are to become my proxy._ ”

“I don’t want to be your proxy!”

“ _I saved your life. I own you now. I just need to make it official and place my mark upon your flesh_.” I saw a tendril-like thing emerge from his back and it was slowly approaching me.

“ **NO!** ” I called out and took a few steps back before it had the chance to touch me. The appendage pulled back and turned stiff while its owner bent his head to the side in one quick movement. Even without a face, I could tell he was angry. He didn’t have an aura, or at least, one that I could detect but his body language said it all.

“ _What did you say?_ ”

“I said... I’m not going to be your proxy! I don’t care if you saved my life. That doesn’t mean anything to me. I didn’t ask you to do that! I had no say in any of this so I shouldn’t be forced to be your proxy!”

“ _You have a fiery spirit. I like that in a proxy_.”

“I’m not ‘your’ anything!”

“ _On the contrary..._ ” He teleported closer to me. He was now only inches away. He bent down to my height and moved his head was super close to my face. Too close for comfort. Without any facial features, it made this all the more terrifying. I trembled before him and waited for him to ‘speak’ again. “ _I used a great deal of my powers to bring you back from the brink of death. It was no simple task and I had to use quite a bit of my energy to do so. You belong to me now, whether you like it or not_.” One of his tendrils wrapped around my arm and squeezed it. I gasped in surprise and in pain and tried to fight him off but his grip was strong. I got a sense that this was just pissing him off so I gave up pretty quickly.

“I never consented to this so I will not become your proxy!”

“ _Your father isn’t healing very quickly_.” I paused.

“What the hell does my Papa have to do with any of this?”

“ _If you agree to become my proxy then I can help heal him. I healed you. Healing him would be nothing_.”

If he could heal Papa then he would be back on his feet in no time then the three of us could be a normal family again. He wouldn’t be stuck in bed for weeks while his body repaired itself. I would have my Papa back and given this creature’s power, maybe Papa’s wounds could be fully repaired and he wouldn’t have any damage or scarring... He would look normal...

“Are my parents your proxies?”

“ _Yes. Both of them belong to me which is why it only makes sense for you to follow in their footsteps_.”

“Why did they agree to it?”

“ _Your father had nowhere else to go and no family. It was a no brainer for him_.”

“And my Zaza?”

“ _Lou joined because they wanted to become a more efficient killer. They wanted to not only get stronger but to have protection should the police find out about them. If they were found out, I could erase any and all case files and evidence linking them to a murder but it would be a hassle for me so it is in their best interest to hide their identity as much as possible. I am more of a last resort_.”

“You didn’t try to force their hand in the decision?”

“ _No. In fact, they came to me and begged for me to make them my proxy. They wanted my protection and if it came down to it, I could erase them from the minds of those who knew them so they could flee from law enforcement_.”

“But you never did that because everyone in the town still remembers them...”

“ _They knew of my power but chose for me not to do anything. They did a good job in faking their disappearance without leaving suspicion so I didn’t see the need to wipe their memory from the town. If I am not asked, then I will not do anything. If you become my proxy then I can guarantee your safety on future missions and I can help you become stronger. Under my care, Lou and Tobias have become much more efficient killers. Don’t you want to become just like your parents? With a bonus of protection which will last as long as your mortal life?_ ”

I thought about this. Those were two big perks. I had no choice but to kill for a living as this was the only life I knew. I didn’t exist in this world legally and I had no education. There was no way I could get a job and live a normal life. This was the life I knew and the only way to survive was to be a skilled killer. I was born into this life. I didn’t like it but I couldn’t change it. At least with Slenderman’s protection, I would get stronger, more efficient and have protection when it came to law enforcement. I would never get caught so I would never go to jail...

But I didn’t completely trust this... this _thing_... I couldn’t be sure that he was telling the truth. What if he was just saying all of this to get me to agree to this? I wouldn’t be shocked if that was the case. If he really wanted me to work for them then, of course, he would say anything to get me to give in.

“How can I be sure that you are telling the truth?” Without hesitation, I was suddenly transported from the forest back to the RV. “What the hell..?” I looked around and indeed, this was my home. When I looked out the nearest window I could see that I was back in Oregon but... but how? Was I sent back in time? Or was this just a memory?

I heard the door open and when I looked over, I saw Zaza enter the cabin. They looked young and had short hair. They looked like they did in the pictures taken when they were around eighteen years old. So this must have been a memory...

They entered and walked past me into the bedroom. I followed them out of curiosity and saw Papa asleep in bed. Not a surprise. I heard him snoring and giggled. With this being a memory, they couldn’t hear me. I was basically watching a movie of what happened in the past. I watched as Zaza smiled when they saw Papa asleep in bed and they began to remove their clothes. I guessed that they were going to change into pajamas so I turned to leave. I didn’t want to watch my Zaza undress. That would have been weird.

“ _Wait_ ,” came Slenderman’s voice inside my head. I paused. “ _Turn around_.”

“But I don’t want to see my Zaza get naked!”

“ _Do as I tell you_.”

“Fine...” I sighed and turned around to face Zaza. They were facing me but of course, they couldn’t see me. I watched as they removed their hoodie, jeans and, a t-shirt but when it came off, something caught my eye. Something that I had never seen before. On their hip, partly hidden by their underwear was that symbol... The symbol that I had seen in my dream and before Slenderman appeared... “What... No... _No_. This has to be fake! If this was a true memory, then where am I? They came here months before my birth!”

“ _This was back when you were only three months developed in Lou’s womb. They were not yet in a relationship with Tobias and at this point, they had a crush on him but refused to admit it. For whatever reason, even though they still didn’t completely trust each other at this time, they shared a bed. Do not ask me why. I don’t know. If you want answers then go to them. Whatever the reason, that isn’t why I am showing you this memory. The reason is on Lou’s body. That is my mark. It is proof that you are my proxy and that you belong to me. With this mark, I am able to track a proxy no matter where they are in the world_.”

“So you knew their location this whole time?”

“ _Yes_.”

“So you knew about me...”

“ _I did. I knew about you from the moment you were conceived_.”

“Let me guess, you were planning to make me your proxy the moment you knew about me. Right?”

“ _No_.” I was shocked by that. “ _I do not care for infants as they are weak and I had no clue what your skills would be when you grew up. I didn’t want to spend years planning for you to become my proxy just for you to grow up to become an artist or something. That would have been a waste of time for me but after I saw those two raise you to become a killer then I became interested. I watched you for years and after seeing your first kill on your own, I knew you would make a good proxy. You just need a bit more training_.”

“I see that Zaza has a mark and it makes sense now why I haven’t seen it before but then, where is Papa’s? I have seen him shirtless many times in the summer when we go swimming and not once have I seen that mark on him.”

“ _His mark in on his thigh so it would have been covered by a swimsuit. I can show you, if you’d like_.”

“No! Fine! I’ll take your word for it!” I closed my eyes and tried to block out the thought of seeing Papa strip. Just seeing Zaza in their underwear was too much for me. I had seen more than I wanted to. No need to make it worse.

When I opened my eyes, we were back in that strange forest. He had stopped that memory and was now standing before me once again. I looked up at him and while I was still scared, I didn’t feel like I had to scream anymore. My breathing did speed up slightly due to fear but otherwise I was alright.

_“So do we have a deal? Will you become my proxy and follow in your parents footsteps?”_

I opened my mouth to give a response but hesitated. Was I sure I wanted to do this? Was I positive? Both of my parents agreed to this deal and they lived relatively normal lives... If they had made it at eighteen years old or a bit earlier in life and Slenderman still hasn’t done anything to them then maybe I could trust him... Even though they had become his proxies, they were still able to run away with any negative consequences...

I knew I should probably have consulted my parents first but it didn’t seem like he would give me that option. I had to make a choice and now. It was now or never.

“Alright... I’ll become your proxy...”

“ _Wise decision_.”


	25. Chapter 25

Darkness surrounded me once again.

 

The forest vanished in the blink of an eye. I was in the void again but this time, Slenderman was with me. He was standing before me and his tendrils were waving around him. It was a scary sight. Even though it was pitch black all around me, I was still able to see him, somehow. I guess he was in control of his dimension so he made it possible for me to see.

I watched as a tendril shot out from behind him and got closer and closer to me. I was about to take a step back but I felt paralyzed. I couldn’t move at all. It was like I no longer in control of my own body. I didn’t like this feeling at all.

All I could do was watch as a tendril, as black as obsidian, moved towards me. It came up to my face and Slenderman’s voice echoed in my head. “ _You are allowed to choose where on your body you would like my mark. Think carefully as once it is placed upon your flesh, it cannot be undone._ ”

I was about to respond with my mouth but I was quickly reminded that I couldn’t move anything. Nothing moved but my eyes. How was I going to respond to him? I closed my eyes as I thought about what I was going to do. I pictured my body in my mind and thought of the best possible place to put the mark. I always wanted a tattoo and one place I thought would be cool was right on my shoulder blade. I often wore shirts that showed off my back which would show off any tattoos I would get in the future.

 

Yes.

 

Right on my shoulder blade.

 

That was a good spot and I knew I would be happy with it. If I didn’t want someone to see the mark then I could cover it up easily with a shirt.

 

That was the spot.

 

When I had made up my mind, I felt an intense pain right on the spot I had picked in my mind. It was a pain that I couldn’t even describe. It felt like my entire shoulder was on fire. The pain started on the skin then worked its way down to the bone. I could only describe it was the tattoo from hell. With Slenderman being some mysterious being, I wouldn’t be surprised if he came from hell itself.

I screamed but not physically. I screamed internally. I thought about screaming and somehow, I felt like I did but my body didn’t move. It was strange.

The pain was so intense that I wanted to pass out but I assumed Slenderman’s power kept me conscious. It was some kind of insane torture. How did my parents handle this? Did they have second thoughts when they were marked? For a few seconds in the beginning, I did have a second thought and wondered if this was a good decision but I was at the point of no return. All I could do was suck it up and hope the pain would be over soon.

What felt like an eternity later, it was finally over. The torture was done. The pain began to die down. It was like the fire was slowly being burned out. It was running out of fuel. I internally sighed with relief.

 

_It was over._

 

My body twitched as I finally regained control. This was similar to when I woke up after being shot. I felt weird as I woke up. I opened my eyes and blinked a few times as I tried to adjust to the light. There wasn’t much but it was enough that I needed an adjustment period.

I groaned and lifted my hand to my head. My arm was weak so it felt more like a noodle. I didn’t like this feeling. Not at all. “Hey kid, you alright?” I heard EJ’s voice. It sounded distant and slightly distorted. I saw his blurry figure above me and nearly shit myself but it did help bring me to consciousness a lot quicker. I blinked until he came into focus and saw his eyebrows furrowed in concern. That was nice but with him looking the way he did, he still looked terrifying...

“I’m fine...” I groaned.

“ _You are now my servant._ ” I heard Slenderman’s voice in my head. I looked over at him as I sat up. No matter how many times I saw him, I knew I was always going to get the chills. “ _You will do as I say from now on. Do not listen to your parents. They are not in charge of you anymore._ ”

“So you are basically like my dad now..?”

“ _Not exactly but if that makes it simpler for you, then yes. I am like a father-figure to you. I now make up the rules concerning you._ ”

“Boss, I hope to God you won’t send her on any missions in the near future...”

“ _No. She is still too young and weak for any of that. It was a mistake for Lou and Tobias to send her out on her own. It is still too soon so she will be in training for the next few years._ ”

“Years? Are you serious?” Both of their heads turned to me. “I feel like a few months of intense training and I’ll be ready. I felt ready on my first solo mission. I can handle it.”

“ _I don’t care if you can or not. I want you to learn more techniques in order to minimize your risk of failure and to make sure you won’t make any mistakes._ ”

“But-”

“ _That is my final decision. You are my proxy so, therefore, you will listen to me. Understood?_ ”

I wanted to continue to argue and make a case but I knew I had nothing. I knew that he was right. I really wasn’t ready. I needed more time and training to improve my skills. I sighed in defeat. “Yes, sir.”

“ _Good. I will leave you in the care of Eyeless now._ ” And with that, he vanished.

I sighed again and EJ helped me off the floor and back on to the bed. I was tired and still in pain after all that. It drained me, mentally. All I wanted to do now was sleep. EJ must have seen that in my face so I lifted me up and carried me out of the room and back to mine. I wanted to stay with Papa but I knew that he also needed to rest and EJ would probably tell me that I had to stay in my own room so I let him carry me back to my bed.

He got me settled in then left to allow me to rest but I didn’t. I couldn’t. All I thought about was what had just happened earlier. I was still hurting from getting the mark but it wasn’t that bad. It was a dull pain that wouldn’t hinder my sleep but still, I couldn’t seem to settle downs. I was wondering if I had made the right choice and what my parents were going to think about it...

 

How mad were they going to be?

 

EJ, their friend, was already very upset about it because he obviously knew more about Slenderman or _The Boss_ than I did. Something about this angered him, but what was it? If The Boss kept his word then Papa was going to be just fine tomorrow but would he? I wanted to trust that he was a man of his word but I wasn’t sure. I still didn’t know much about him to know. I was just going to have to wait and see.

After some tossing and turning, I somehow managed to fall asleep but it was a very short nap. I woke up maybe an hour later and heard footsteps come quickly up the stairs. Curious, I got out of bed and stumbled over to the door and cracked it open to hear what was going on in the living room.

“This is bad.” That was Zaza’s voice.

“What is? What’s wrong?” That was Jane and she sounded concerned.

“There was a witness to the shooting and she _survived_.”

“A witness? What do you mean?” Now EJ had joined the conversation.

“I don’t know who it was but there was blood leading from the edge of the trees and all the way back to town. It looks like they had gotten help and maybe they survived. I’m not sure who it could be but if they tell the police about this place...”

“ _Shit_...” EJ said under his breath.

“What are we going to do?” Zaza sounded panicked. They were scared. If the police came here then no doubt they would bring their guns. Would these killers be ready for that? Are they equipped for a shootout? I didn’t think so because if they were then they wouldn’t be so freaked out about this.

“We will think of something...” Jane tried to reassure them.

“We can’t afford to move and find a new hiding place... but I think we might have to...”

“Don’t worry Lou. It won’t come to that.”

“I hope you’re right...”

I shut the door as quietly as I could. _Shit_. There was a witness and I knew who it was. It was Susan. That woman who had a crush on papa. Shit! Would she tell anyone about what had happened or would she lie? Or would she be took freaked out to say anything? Jeff’s face was enough to traumatize anyone. I prayed that she kept her mouth shut because if not, I knew what was going to happen. Zaza or one of their friends were going to kill her...

 

_I had to get to her before that happened._

 

I waited for two hours or so before trying to slip out. By then, Zaza had gone to check on Papa and the others were going about their duties. I opened the door and looked down the hallway. I saw no one so I crept down as quietly as I could then peeked into the living room. It was empty. This was my chance.

I made my way down the stairs and out the door. I was freezing as I only had a sweater but there was nothing I could do about it. No one left a winter coat in my room, probably because they didn’t expect me to leave or were trying to discourage me from doing so.

I hugged myself as the wind howled around me. It was maybe mid-afternoon so the temperature was beginning to drop and the sun was already starting to set. I _hate_ winter. It was too cold and the days were short. I estimated I had about three hours to find Susan and to find out how much she had seen and what she had told people.

I hurried back to town and my first stop was the Dollar General but it was closed. For a second, I couldn’t figure out why because it was nowhere  near the store’s closing time but then it hit me. Steve was Susan’s brother. If she had been injured and was in the hospital then, of course, he would close shop to be with her. Now I just had to find out where she was.

I went across the street to a hunting goods store and went up to the desk. The man behind the counter didn’t looked pleased to see me. “Aren’t you a bit young to be in here?” He asked in a snobby tone.

“I’m not here for weapons or anything.” I quickly explained. “I was hoping to get some information about Susan’s whereabouts. I don’t know her last name but her brother is Steve who owns the Dollar General across the street.”

“I know them, but what business you got with them? Why should I tell you anything?”

“Well, my dad and I are new here and he and Susan got along well. It was obvious that she had a crush on him and him being single, he kinda returned it. I just heard what happened to her but I didn’t hear anything about where she might be. I just want to know so I can send a card to wish her well is all.” I prayed that that would be enough of an explanation.

The man thought about it before sighing and nodding. “Alright, fine. She’s at the clinic. It’s up the street and a few properties down on the right turn. You can’t miss the signs.”

“Thanks so much.” I smiled politely then left the store. I had to get there quick. I hoped that explanation would be enough for the nurses to allow me to see Susan if she could even take visitors, that is.

I rushed to the clinic and arrived just in time to see Susan leaving the building with her arm locked with Steve’s who was helping her walk. She must have just been released. I was super close. If I had come any later then I would have missed them.

“Hey Susan!” I called out as I approached the two.

She looked up at me and smiled when she saw me. She let go of Steve, walked towards me and waved. “Feronia! Thank goodness you’re alright! I was so worried about you.” She said quietly so Steve couldn’t hear. “How are you and your father? You aren’t too badly hurt I hope...”

“No, we are just fine but I really need to know, have you told anyone about what you had seen or where we were? This is important. I _need_ to know.” I said quickly in case Steve came up to us.

She shook her head. “No. I haven’t told a soul. I figured that whoever that scary man was, was bad news and I didn’t want him to hurt anyone although I was very worried about you and your father... I was actually considering telling the cops...”

“But you didn’t tell them, right?”

“That’s right. No one knows anything... But why are you asking?”

“You can’t tell anyone _anything_. Nothing at all or else you will be in danger. I shouldn’t be telling you this but, there are people who live in that asylum and if they find out that you told someone, even just one person then you and that person will be killed.” I explained. “I am telling you that for your safety, you need to keep your mouth shut. Just say that you have memory loss or something and can’t remember.”

“You are really freaking me out sweetie...”

“Just... Just don’t tell anyone. I _beg_ you. I really like you and I don’t want anything to happen to you. Just stay quiet and forget that any of that happened. Alright?”

“Alright...”

“Thanks. Bye!” And I took off without another word. I wanted to believe that she would keep her promise but I just didn’t know. If she believed me when I said her life was in danger then I could only hope she would stay quiet. I just had to trust her...

I walked back to the woods and went back to the asylum. I had to get back before anyone knew I was missing. Luckily, that all went smoothly and I was in and out in less than thirty minutes. I sure got lucky there because it could have easily taken a lot longer.

When I reached the bridge I stopped. I could sense another aura. At first, I thought that it was maybe a proxy but I wasn’t sure. The aura seemed a bit familiar but I couldn’t tell who it belonged to. I looked all around the area but I couldn’t see anyone nearby. Strange but I shrugged it off. Maybe it was a proxy and they had just left the area. I couldn’t be bothered to find out. I just wanted to get back in bed and sleep. I had done what I needed to do. I had done all that I could do but was it enough?

I made it back but just before I could reach the door, I heard someone call out to me. “Hey, stop!” The voice called out. I turned around and was shocked to see Jr running up to me. “What do you think you are doing?”

“Jr? What are you doing here?” I asked in surprise.

“I should be asking you that. Care to tell me why you walked like thirty minutes in the woods just to come here?”

“Why did you follow me? And when did you notice me?”

“Just answer the damn question.”

“Wow. _Rude_. Why should I?” I turned to face him and crossed my arms to show him that I was not pleased.

“I didn’t trust you the moment I met you and now I’m beginning to trust you even less. Why are you going into this big abandoned building and how did you even know it was here?”

“That’s none of your business. I can go wherever I want and don’t have to explain my reasons for doing so, especially to you.” I turned around to go inside but his voice stopped me once again.

“Go ahead and do whatever you want but just know that I’m going to report this to the sheriff. I don’t trust you at all and I think you are up to something.” With his tone, I knew that he meant it.

I turned around to try and stop him but him reporting this wasn’t what I had to worry about. When I turned around I saw Zaza right behind him. Before I could say anything, they grabbed him and held a knife to his throat. “What are you doing here?” They growled in his ear. He looked terrified. I thought that he was about to shit his pants. He was so scared that he couldn’t even say a single word.

“Zaza! Don’t!” I shouted before they could kill him. “Don’t hurt him!”

“Why not? He knows too much. I have to.”

“Zaza, please! I _promise_ you, you will regret doing so!”

“Why? He means nothing to me. Why should I care if I kill him or not?”

“Because...He...He’s your brother...”


	26. Chapter 26

Zaza dropped the knife and it landed in the snow. “My... _what_..?”

“He is. He is your brother.”

“That’s ridiculous. There is no way.”

“No Zaza. He is. I met your parents, my grandparents, and this is your brother, their son. His name is Felix Jr.”

“You... You met my parents..? When? How?”

“It’s kind of a long story but one I will tell if you promise not to hurt him. _Please_.”

“Fine.” Zaza begrudgingly said and shoved Felix away. They bent down and picked up the knife which they pointed at him and motioned for him to go inside. “Inside. Now.”

“No! Why should I?”

“Kid, I’m the one holding a knife here. If you don’t go inside then I will kill you.”

“Zaza!”

They gave me a look and huffed. “Go. _Now_.” Jr stood his ground.

“I would just listen if I were you. You are in no position to argue at the moment.” I said.

“You are crazy! Both of you!” He was still angry but he did as he was told. He went inside after me and Zaza followed us, still holding the knife up to Jr. “Now can someone please explain to me, what in the _fuck_ is going on?”

“This is Lou,” I said and pointed to Zaza. Jr’s jaw hit the ground. He looked Zaza up and down to see if I was telling the truth.

“No. That’s _impossible_. They’re dead!”

“Surprise bitch,” Zaza said flatly. I shot them a look and they rolled their eyes. “Yes, I am Lou Schumacher and if you are Felix Jr then I guess that makes you my little brother. _Joy_.”

“Zaza, can’t you at least _act_ happy? He’s family!”

“No, he isn’t. My family is everyone who lives in this house.”

“But what about him and your parents?”

“I just learned about him and I haven’t seen my parents in years. I don’t really care about them anymore.”

“Zaza... how can you even _think_ that? Let alone, _say_ it? They are your parents! They are your flesh and blood! You can’t just say you don’t care about them anymore!”

“You psychopath!” _Great_. The last thing we needed was Jr’s input in all of this. “You run away like sixteen years ago and utterly destroy mom then you have the nerve to say you don’t care about her or dad? You heartless bitch!”

“I’m not heartless. I just find it easier to say I don’t care about them. I will never see them again so what’s the point of missing them?”

“Why won’t you see them again? It is because you are living in this shit hole? And why did you leave? Why did you break mom’s heart?”

“Why should I tell you anything? I don’t need to explain anything to you.”

“If what this girl says is true then you are my sister.”

“And that somehow automatically means I should tell you anything you want to know? Don’t kid yourself, _kid_.” His eyebrow twitched at that. He was getting more and more pissed the more he talked with Zaza. “And technically, yes, I am your sibling, just not your sister.”

“What the fuck does that mean?”

“I am neither male or female. I don’t go by either pronouns.”

“You are a freak in more ways than one!” Well, this wasn’t going as well as I had hoped...

“Feronia, do you really expect me to reunite with my family when my so-called brother is behaving in such a way?”

“Zaza, please... I think you should. Your parents deserve to know that you are at least alive and I really want to get to know them... They are my grandparents after all...”

“Neither of you a going anywhere _near_ my parents! You got that?!”

“I guess that settles that.” Zaza shrugged.

“Zaza!”

“Listen, when your father gets better we are leaving!”

“What? Why?”

“Because it is too dangerous for us to stay. Everyone else can stay if they want but we are leaving! I need to look out for you and with Jeff gone, we no longer have a threat. We can go anywhere we want without the fear of him hunting us down. I don’t know where but anywhere is better than here.”

“But that’s not fair!” I said as I stomped my foot. “I want to get to know my grandparents! I never knew I had them and I am sure they would want to know about me! Don’t you think? Try thinking like them. Pretend you are a grandparent. Pretend I was the one who ran away. Wouldn’t you want to know if I was alive or not and if I was, wouldn’t you want to know your grandkids?”

“Feronia. _Enough_. I have had enough with this conversation! I am not going home and you are not meeting my parents!”

“Watch me.”

“Excuse me?”

“I will go to them and tell them who I really am and that you are still alive but that you don’t want to see them. That will break their hearts but at least they will know that you are safe!”

“You call this place safe?”

“Shut up Jr!” I snapped at him and he immediately shut his mouth. _Good_. He was being a pain in the ass and at that point I had had enough of him. “Zaza, why don’t you want them back in your life? What did they do to make you this way?”

“They couldn’t have done anything. My parents are nice people and they miss Lou terribly.” Jr said. “Every damn day they talk about her. Mom always says that she is praying for Lou to return one day. She prays to God every minute of every day about it. I’m rather sick of it. It’s like they care more about her than me and I’m the child who’s there! They should be paying attention to me and not focusing on the child they lost! They only had me to try and fill the void of a missing child but instead, they ruined my life before it began! I hate it and I hate you!” He pointed a finger at Zaza and if looks could kill, they would most certainly be dead. “My life is miserable and it's all your fucking fault! You bitch! If you hadn’t left then none of this would have happened!”

“You can’t blame me for the actions of our parents. They were the ones who decided to have you to see if they could move on and it’s not my fault that they couldn’t.”

“No. It is your fault because you left! You started all of this! You can say you aren’t responsible but deep down, we both know that all of this happened because you decided to run away! You made the dick move to run away and that broke our parent's hearts! No. Strike that. _MY_ parent's hearts! Fuck you! They aren’t your anything! When you left, you left the family for good!”

“And that was the whole point of me leaving. I knew what I was doing and I knew it would hurt them but I had to leave.” I couldn’t understand how Zaza was remaining so calm! Their brother was screaming at them yet they remained totally calm! What?!

“What sort of position were you in that you felt your only option was to leave?” Jr sounded a bit calmer now. He was more confused and inquisitive than he was angry but I could still tell that he was not pleased with Zaza.

“That, I can’t tell you.”

“And why not?”

“Why should I?”

“Because whatever that reason was, it ruined my life! That’s why!”

“As I said before, I didn’t ruin your life. It’s not my fault our parents had you and couldn’t move on. They put you in that situation, not me.”

“Oh sure, take the blame off yourself!” He threw his hands up in frustration then turned and took a few steps away from Zaza. He found a clump of dirt on the ground which he kicked as he tried to figure out what to do or say next. He suddenly stopped his pacing and looked up at me then back at Zaza. “Was it her? Was she the reason you left? Were you too embarrassed to tell mom and dad that you got pregnant at eighteen?”

“No. I would have told them had I know but I left home only days after her conception. I didn’t know about her until about a month later. I know that while they would have been disappointed, they still would have supported me. They aren’t the type of parents to kick their kid out for being pregnant.”

“So then, if it wasn’t for her, then why did you leave?”

“If I tell you, then the police will get involved and I don’t want mom or dad to suffer through that. I left to protect them...”

“Protect them?” Jr said in shock. “Protect them from what? What the hell kind of life are you living?”

“If I were to go into detail about my life then I would have to kill you. Are you sure you want to know?”

“What the _fuck_... You know what, _fuck_ this! I’m going to the sheriff’s office and telling them about this place and everyone who lives here will be arrested! And that includes you!” He pointed a finger at Zaza and glared at them. “And you will go to jail for the rest of your life and you will never see your kid again!”

“No!” I rushed over to him and blocked him from leaving. “Please _don’t_ do this! You just don’t understand! I know all of this is confusing and you must be hurt from everything you had to go through but telling the cops about us will only result in people being killed! And that would include you! Please!”

“Out of my way.” He grabbed me by my sweater and shoved me out of the way. Since I was still weak and in pain, it wasn’t hard for him to do and I ended up tripping over my own feet and fell down.

I landed with a grunt as I hit the cold and filthy floor. I pressed a hand on my stomach and whined and moaned in pain. It felt like I had gotten shot all over again.

“Feronia!” Zaza exclaimed and they were by my side in a split second. They picked me up, off the ground and cradled me in their arms and rocked me like a baby.

“Don’t worry Zaza... I’m fine...”

“ _Shit_...” We both looked over at Jr who was looking at me and he felt bad for what he had done. He radiated guilt. “I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to-“

“Don’t... apologize... This wasn’t your doing. I was injured a little while ago and I’m still healing...”

He let out a sigh of relief. “Thank god... I mean...”

“It’s alright. I understand what you mean.” I giggled and this brought a small smile to his face but he was still unsure. “I shouldn’t be out of bed but there was something that I had to do...”

“And what would that thing be, exactly?” I tensed up and slowly looked up at Zaza. They didn’t look pleased at all...

“Oh...um...nothing...”

“ _Feronia_...”

“Zaza, why did you leave earlier?”

“Nice try on changing the subject. Answer the question.”

“Did you try to locate Susan?” Zaza’s eyes widened in surprise and they tensed slightly so I assumed that I was correct in that assumption. “I went looking for her too. I wanted to see if she had told anyone about what she had seen and how much she had seen. She told me she wouldn’t tell anyone. She promised.”

“Feronia, you should know better and not trust people. People lie.”

“I don’t think she will. I trust her.”

“You mean Susan who is Steve’s sister and owns that restaurant?” Jr asked. I looked up at him and nodded. “Why are you guys looking for her? Are you the ones who shot her?!”

“No. An evil man named Jeff shot her. He was the one who shot my Papa and me and who did that to Zaza.” I pointed to Zaza’s face that was still covered in bruises. “I don’t know how she found this place but I assume she was either with or was following Papa who found his way here. He must have followed my footprints to get here.”

“Why would she be following him?” I didn’t really want to answer Zaza but I figured that it didn’t really matter. I just wasn’t sure how they were going to react. Only one way to find out. “Well Susan had an obvious crush on Papa but he never noticed. He only found out after I told him but even then he didn’t believe me. He sucks at picking up when someone is flirting with him. She wasn’t being subtle at all.”

Zaza laughed. That wasn’t the reaction I thought they would have but it was better than them getting angry. “Oh, Toby! That’s just like him! Just as oblivious as always!”

“Was he oblivious before you guys got together?”

“No. We only started flirting after getting into a relationship. It all happened suddenly. Neither of us flirted before but there was one time we went into town and I guess a girl assumed we were siblings or friends, maybe she mistook me for a guy and began flirting with him but he never caught on. He assumed she was being friendly and we left town with her looking very confused.” Zaza giggled the entire time they were explaining this and when they were done they started laughing all over again.

“I never knew Papa was so clueless.”

“Your dad sounds stupid.”

“Toby can be clueless but I still love him all the same. He makes up for it with how much he loves us.” I was now able to sit up so Zaza got to their feet and helped me up. “Now as for you, what are we going to do with you?” They turned to Jr and crossed their arms. He looked scared and took a few steps back.

“Zaza please, don’t hurt him. You will regret it. I can _promise_ you that.”

“He knows too much. It doesn’t matter that he’s family. I can’t risk him going back and reporting this place to others.” They pulled out their knife and slowly approached Jr. His eyes widened and when his back hit a wall, I could sense fear spike in his aura.

“Please... _Please_ don’t hurt me!”

“Zaza you can’t hurt your own brother!”

“It’s not like he and I grew up together. I only just learned of his existence. He means nothing to me. He will be like any other victim.”

“What are you talking about..? Have you..? _Wait_... How _many_ people have you killed?!”

“If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me.” Jr had no words. He was too scared. I watched as he pressed himself against the wall in a failed attempt to escape. There was no way for him to run to the left or right. He was basically trapped in a corner and if he tried running, Zaza would catch him in a fraction of a second. “Don’t worry, I’ll make it quick.”

“Zaza. Stop!” Despite the pain, I rushed over and threw myself in between them. I glared at Zaza and this shocked them enough for them to lower their knife. “I don’t care if you don’t know him at all. He’s still family! He is a part of our family! How is he any different than me or Papa?”

“Feronia, please, move to the side and let me do this.”

“No!”

“ **Feronia!** ”

“Family is family regardless of how well we know each other! He is only thirteen!”

“You wouldn’t kill a child, would you?” Jr’s voice was shaking and I didn’t blame him.

“What makes you think I haven’t done so already?” I knew that Zaza would never harm a child but he didn’t know that. I was almost certain he pissed himself.

“Zaza please, let him go. Let me take him back home. You won’t tell anyone, right? Your life literally depends on this.”

“I mean... As a good citizen, it’s my duty to report someone who has committed a crime...”

“Please... I don’t want you to die. I might not know you very well but you are still family... I would like to be able to get to know you in the future...” I looked back at him with a pleading look. I gave him puppy dog eyes and it must have worked.

“Fine! I swear on my life to not tell anyone! I promise!”

“I still don’t believe him. Feronia, _move_.”

“ **No**. I am going to walk him back home.”

“Are you trying to get grounded?” Zaza sounded frustrated with me but I didn’t care. I was the reason that Jr was still alive.

“Go ahead and ground me. You can do that when I get back. Jr, let’s go.” I grabbed his arm and we walked towards the door. He was so eager to leave that he was quickly taking the lead.

We left without another word spoken. Zaza was probably so stunned with me talking back that they couldn’t even think of something else to say so they just let us go. I took the lead once we go into the woods as Jr had no clue where to go. He didn’t say anything the entire walk. He just stayed silent as we made our way to town and when we reached the park, he felt comfortable going ahead of me. I got the feeling that he didn’t appreciate me following him back to his house but he didn’t tell me to piss off so I accompanied him all the way to the door.

He got to the door and tried to open it only to find it was locked. “ _Dammit_.” He said under his breath. With a sigh, he rang the doorbell and we waited for someone to answer. It didn’t take long and soon the door creaked open. I saw bright red hair on the other side and instantly knew that it was my grandma. She saw Jr and smiled but that was quickly replaced with a look of surprise as she looked past him. At first, I thought she was looking at me but she wasn’t. She was looking behind me.

Curious, I turned around to see what had shocked her so much. She had made quite an audible gasp and looked like she had seen a ghost. When I turned around I got just as big of a shock as she did.

 

Standing on the driveway, was Zaza.


	27. Chapter 27

“No... It... It can’t be...” Grandma said with one hand covering her mouth. She was so surprised that she could barely speak. Her voice was shaky and cracked a bit.

“Zaza, what are you-?” I stopped talking when Zaza walked up the driveway and up to the house. I looked back at grandma and she looked she was trying to figure out if this person really was her “daughter” or not.

“Lou..?”

“Hey... Mom...” Zaza looked down. It was like they were too ashamed to even look at her.

“Oh my God...” Grandma pushed past Jr and me and went straight to Zaza. Jr and I exchanged glances then watched the scene unfold before us. “Is it... Is it really you..? I’m not dreaming am I..?”

“No mom, this isn’t a dream. It’s really me.” Zaza gave a small smile and grandma let out some sort of noise that I couldn’t quite distinguish. She sounded surprised and happy all at the same time. It was strange.

She pulled Zaza into a hug and began to cry on their shoulder. Zaza looked slightly uncomfortable and appeared as if they weren’t expecting a hug. They awkwardly wrapped their arms around grandma and waited for her to let go. They ended up waiting for a while as she refused to let go. When she started to calm down from her crying fit, Zaza gently pried her off and she wiped the last of her tears. “I _knew_ it! I _knew_ that you were still alive! I could just _sense_ it!”

“Mom, don’t you even care that she was gone all of this time? Aren’t you going to punish her or something?”

“Why would you even _suggest_ such a thing?” Grandma gasped as she looked over at Jr. She didn’t look pleased and that look was enough to shut him up. She looked back at Zaza and gently tucked a strand of hair behind their ear. “My goodness, darling... What on earth happened to you? Come inside and I’ll make some tea. You look so thin...”

She ushered Zaza inside and Jr and I followed. She seemed to have forgotten we were there. I wouldn’t even be surprised if she didn’t even see me. We all went in and sat down. Grandma, of course, hovered over Zaza and was asking a million questions. She was asking so many that Zaza couldn’t even answer her. I could see the look on Zaza’s face and they were clearly overwhelmed with all of this attention. Would they even be able to respond?

“Now I know I asked just about every question under the sun but the most important one that I just have to know the answer to is, what on _earth_ happened the night you went missing?”

“You mean, when she ran away?” Jr cut in and I shot him a look. He saw me and rolled his eyes.

“Ran away? Jr, you don’t know anything about any of this. You weren’t even born when this happened so don’t go inserting yourself in a conversation on something you know nothing about, alright?”

“Oof,” I said quietly but it was loud enough for him to hear and this time, he was the one who was giving me a look. “You just got shot down kid...” I grinned.

“Mom... Jr is right...” Grandma looked at Zaza in disbelief. “I ran away... I...I didn’t have any choice...I _had_ to leave...”

“Lou...” Grandma sat down beside them and put a hand on their shoulder. “Why did you feel like you had to leave? Were you afraid of something?”

“My guess is she was afraid to tell you that she got knocked up.”

“Jr, there is no need for that tone. If you are going to remain like this then you can go somewhere else and let us adults talk.”

“Whatever,” was all he said and he let the room. He went to what I could only assume was his bedroom and slammed the door behind him. At least we wouldn’t have to worry about him spilling the beans about where we were staying...

“I...I ran away because I was scared...” Zaza admitted. Grandma looked back at them and waited for them to continue. “I...I didn’t know how you and dad would react so I thought the best thing to do was leave so I packed up everything I deemed important and I left...”

“Lou... What were you so afraid to tell us that you thought your only option was to leave?”

I saw Zaza think for a while as they came up with their best excuse without revealing the truth. They reveal the real reason but they couldn’t lie to their own mother. I saw as they glanced over at me for a split second then finally, back up at their mom. “I...I was too scared to tell you and dad that... that I... I was _pregnant_...”

There was silence in the room. None of us said a single word. I knew that Zaza had left because of their life as a killer even though they never confirmed it with me. It had to be the reason why they left but instead of telling their mom that, they said the next best thing. It wasn’t exactly a lie because they were pregnant with me when they left but they didn’t know that at the time. They just twisted that ever so slightly to make it sound like the truth.

“You...You were pregnant..?” Grandma was of course, in disbelief. She didn’t know what to say to that. She was completely speechless.

“Yeah...” Zaza sighed and looked at the ground. “I guess I just freaked out and didn’t know what to do...I was still a child back then...”

“Were you afraid that we might have kicked you out? We would never have done that. What happened after you left? What about the child?”

“I know you and dad wouldn’t have kicked me out for getting pregnant but I did know that you would have been disappointed and I guess that’s why I left... I was only eighteen and I was pregnant... I was just weeks away from graduating high school and with my grades I could have gone to any college I wanted but with a child that would have been very tricky... and I didn’t want to rely on you and dad to help raise my child... I know that seems silly now but back then... I just panicked... I didn’t know what to do and thought that was my only option. I didn’t want to bring shame to you or dad... I was unmarried and pregnant at eighteen... That wouldn’t have looked good for either of you...” Zaza explained. “As for my daughter... your granddaughter...” They finally looked up from the ground and looked over at me. They reached out to me which was my queue to get up and go over to them so I did. I stood beside Zaza who wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me close in a sort of side hug.

“Is this..?” Grandma started to say but trailed off when Zaza nodded.

“This is my daughter, Feronia.” I smiled at grandma and wrapped an arm around Zaza’s neck.

“I know we’ve met before but now I can finally meet you as your granddaughter. It took so much effort to keep such a secret and believe me, I wanted to tell you but I didn’t want to anger my Papa...”

“Anger? Is your father abusive? And my _goodness_ , I’m so thrilled to know that I have a granddaughter!”

“No. Papa isn’t abusive. He is the best Papa ever, he just didn’t want you to know about me. It’s a long story...” Grandma gave a sigh of relief when I said that Papa wasn’t abusive but she was still worried about why I couldn’t identify myself until now.

“We have all the time in the world now. Lou, can you please fill me in on everything that happened after you left? Just to reassure you, I am not mad and even if I was, what can I do about it? You are a full grown woman. It’s not like I can ground you.” She and Zaza giggled which made me smile. Everything was going great so far.

“Well, get prepared for quite the story.” I got a bit tired of standing after all that walking so I sat myself down on Zaza’s lap and got comfortable. When I was settled they began their story which I was eager to hear. “Like most teenagers, there was a lot about me that you didn’t know. I know most parents like to think they know their kid but really, they don’t. Not entirely. I’m sure there is a lot about Feronia that I don’t know despite her being so open with us. Like any other teen, I kept so many things from you and dad and now that all of this time had passed, I kind of regret it... but what’s done is done, as they say. Anyway, the one thing I hid from you was my secret boyfriend. I kept him from you and dad for years.”

“I expected as much from the moment you told me about Feronia. Do I know him?”

“Actually, yeah... Do you remember Jeffrey? From before we moved here?”

“Yes, I do. You were very close with him and his brother but he is dead.”

Zaza shook their head. “He didn’t die with his family but he is dead now. He survived and when he found me here, I was shocked and refused to believe him but he managed to convince me. He was, in fact, the Jeff from my childhood and we stayed friends for a few years but about six months before I left, we became a couple.”

I made a bit of a face when I heard that. Hard to believe Zaza ever loved that man. He clearly changed drastically over the years. I was just glad to know that Zaza and Jeff created me with love and no malice. I wasn’t sure if I would have been able to handle it if Jeff had in fact raped Zaza and that was how I was created.

“Well isn’t that sweet. You reconnected with a childhood friend. You know, before the deaths, I really thought you and Jeff had a connection.”

“Yeah, turns out we did...” Zaza sighed as they remembered him. “After I had gotten pregnant, I got scared. Not just about how you and dad would react but Jeff too. We never discussed having children and normally we were so careful. It just took one little error and I got pregnant. And no, I don’t mean you are an error baby girl.” Zaza turned their head to me and gave me a big kiss right on my cheekbone. I giggled and nuzzled against them. “You were a surprise but definitely not an error and I loved you from day one.”

“Zaza, stop.” I was embarrassed now.

“Sorry.” They chuckled then turned back to their mom.

“Alright, a few more questions now. First of all, ‘zaza’?”

“Oh, right... Taking a break from my story... I never told you this because 2003 wasn’t the best time to be openly LGBT. I don’t identify as either a girl or a boy. I prefer gender-neutral pronouns like they and them. I know all of this is a lot to take in and I get it if you don’t want to accept me but-”

“I’m going to stop you right there.” Grandma held up a hand to stop Zaza from speaking and this made my heart skip a beat. I couldn’t properly read grandma’s aura so I wasn’t sure just how she felt about this so I had to wait for her to continue speaking. It felt like a very long wait. “Lou, _honey_ , I don’t care about that. No matter who you are, you are still my baby! I will love and support you no matter what and no I’m not saying this because you’ve been missing all this time. You are my child and what kind of mother would I be if I abandoned you just because you are a little different? Everyone is unique in their own way but that doesn’t make them any less human than those who are part of ‘the norm’.”

“Mom...” I saw Zaza start to tear up. “You don’t know how much that means to me... to hear you say that... I was so worried about yours and dad’s reaction that I kept this a secret for years before I left... I didn’t know what I was feeling until I read a book on genderqueer as it was called back then but now it is known as being non-binary.”

“Your dad and I love you no matter what. I know that when we tell him, he won’t care about anything except for the fact that you are alive and well.” Grandma squeezed Zaza’s hand reassuringly and tears were now streaming down Zaza’s face. Grandma let them calm down before asking more questions. “Now that that is out of the way, I would like to hear the rest of your story.”

“Right. Yes. Continuing from where I left off... So yeah, I packed up everything and left town. I didn’t tell anyone where I was going, not even Jeff. When he found me only a few weeks ago he was not happy as you can imagine... He had changed so much since the last time I saw him and he...” They looked over at me somewhat worried and I knew that what they had to say was not going to be easy to hear.

“I can go elsewhere if you don’t want me to hear this next part...”

“Would you mind? I’m sorry baby girl but what I have to say is not something you need to hear nor do I want you to hear... After all we’ve been through... you don’t need to know what that monster did to me...”

“Yeah, I get it.” I gave them a kiss then went to the basement that grandma had pointed out to me. I closed the door behind me but I didn’t go downstairs. I waited at the top because I wanted to know what happened. I knew I was going to regret it if it was as bad as I thought it was but I was too curious to care in the moment. I pressed my ear against the door and listened in the best I could but Zaza made it hard for me as they spoke very quietly but it wasn’t quiet enough. I was barely able to hear them but I managed to catch every word.

“Jeff... he tracked me down to where we were living in Oregon and attacked us and by us, I mean Feronia, my boyfriend Toby, and I. Toby is the one she calls father as he has been with me for most of my pregnancy and he helped raise her. Hell, he even helped deliver her. We are all very close. That night... Jeff kidnapped me and brought me all the way back here and did so many horrible things to me. He wanted to punish me for leaving him and not telling him about ‘his’ daughter. By then he was insane and very abusive so I knew that I made a good choice in leaving. I can’t imagine what it would have been like if I stayed and he became abusive over time. That is the last thing I would have wanted for Feronia but luckily, I found a great man who is an amazing father and not once has he ever hurt us in any way. Jeff would never have been this great of a father...” Zaza cleared their throat as they prepared to go into detail of what Jeff had done to them. “When Jeff kidnapped me... He brought me to an old building that had been abandoned for years and there he tortured me... He beat me, cut me, raped me, threw me across the room, basically anything you can think of, he has done to me....”

“Oh my God...” I heard grandma say. “Lou...”

“You don’t have to say anything. I’m fine. That was the past and no I don’t need to see a therapist or anything. I’m not traumatized. It was only a week of hell and after being rescued by some friends, I’m doing just fine. I only survived because I thought of Toby and Feronia the whole time. Maybe down the line I’ll need to seek help but right now, I feel just fine.”

“Honey, you can’t be fine. Not after all that...” There was a slight pause and I assumed that grandma reached over to hold Zaza’s hands or to hug them. “After this, I will get you an appointment to see my therapist.”

“Mom please, no. I don’t want the help. Let me do this on my own time. When I am ready, then I’ll come to you. Alright?”

“Lou...”

“ _Please_... I need to focus on my family right now... Toby has been seriously injured when Jeff attacked us a few weeks ago so my main job is to look after him. I have almost forgotten all of the abuse Jeff put me through. The only reminder I’ll have is this scar on my lip and a few others on my body but I’ll be fine. Trust me, mom. Just let me get help at my own pace. I know you just want to help but you can’t force things. I need to go at my own pace. _Please_.”

 

Another long pause.

 

“Alright... I don’t like this but you are an adult... I can’t force you to do anything but I do wish you would let me make that appointment...”

“I will. When I am ready to seek help. After all I went through, heavens knows I need a therapist but not right now. Okay?”

“Okay...” More silence and I assumed that Zaza had hugged grandma. After a while of silence I heard Zaza call out to me.

“You can come back now if you want, Feronia.” I waited for a few seconds to make it seem like I had come from downstairs then opened the door and went back to sit with them. Instead of sitting on Zaza’s lap, I sat beside them but still snuggled up to them.

“I’m happy to see that you have created a loving family. It couldn’t have been easy for you...”

“No it wasn’t but Toby and I managed and we are both very proud of this little angel. Well, she’s an angel _most_ of the time.”

“Zaza!” They burst out laughing and even grandma giggled at that while I pouted. “You are so mean...”

“I am your parent, I’m allowed to tease you.”

“This is abuse!”

“Oh you!” Zaza put me in a headlock and laughed when I tried to break free. They let me go after a while but not before giving me a kiss on the top of my head. When I was finally free I sat upright and fixed my hair. My hair was always a mess as it was at a length that never cooperated but I did my best to look more presentable.

“I can tell that you are a very silly and fun loving family. I’m glad.”

“Oh, we are.” I said after fixing my hair. “You should see us when Papa is around. He is the biggest goofball on earth.”

“Oh is he?”

“Yeah. When he gets better then we will definitely be back. Oh Zaza, have you told oma about the engagement?”

“ _Engagement?!”_

“Yeah! Show her the ring!” I was nudging Zaza excitedly and they giggled.

“Alright, alright!” They reached under their hoodie and pulled out their ring which was on a thin golden chain. I watched and that’s when I noticed that it wasn’t on their finger. It’s not like it had a small gem on it so it would be pretty hard to miss. I was a bit confused as to why they weren’t wearing it around their neck but if they were treating Papa then I guess they didn’t want it to get caught on the gauze or something. They took it off the chain and put it back on their finger then showed it off to grandma. “Here is it.”

“Oh my lord! Look at it!” Grandma took Zaza’s left hand in theirs and brought it closer to her face so she could get a better look at it. “It’s beautiful! My, he went all out!”

“Mmhmm. He didn’t have to get one so big as I’m not really one for material things but he did pick out a beautiful ring. I love it so much and the engagement was so funny. He was being his usual goofball self and it was very unexpected. I will tell that story when dad returns. I don’t want him to miss it.”

“I can’t wait to hear it! I can tell that you really love this man.”

“I do. Very much. I never believed in soul mates until I met him. He is my everything.” I saw Zaza’s pale face break out in a dark blush. Grandma and I giggled at this and Zaza became all embarrassed and looked down at the ring on their finger. “I am so happy to have met him and that we were able to raise Feronia together. Sometimes I feel like this is all a dream.”

“I’m so happy for you!” Grandma pulled Zaza into a big hug then pulled me in. I let out a small yelp of surprise but quickly accepted the affection and returned the hug. “Your father will be so happy when he returns! He will be home from work in a few hours. Can you wait that long or do you want to go back to where you are staying to be with your fiancée? Toby, was it?”

“His name is Tobias, yes and I think we will. I want to make sure he is doing alright although I know my friend will take good care of him.”

“I understand. Oh, I’m so glad to have you back and I am thrilled to know that I have a granddaughter and a future son-in-law! This is the best news I have ever received!” We all stood up and exchanged hugs. Grandma gave me such a big hug that I thought I was going to suffocate to death. How come everyone wanted to give me such big hugs? If this kept happening then I had a feeling I was going to die one day... When she let me go she gave Zaza an even bigger hug which lasted much longer. “I don’t want to let you go!”

“Don’t worry mom. I promise that I will come back later today. I can’t wait to see dad after all these years. I hope he reacts as well as you did.”

“I’m sure he will. We were both very worried about you. To make things smoother, do you want me to tell him that you don’t see yourself as either a boy or a girl? I don’t know much but I can just tell him to use they or them pronouns for you.”

“I mean, you can if you want but it might be easier if that comes from me so I can explain anything he doesn’t understand.”

“That might be wise. He will be home around six so you can arrive shortly after. Does that work for you?”

“Yeah, I’m good but I hope you don’t mind that Feronia stays at home. That’s usually when we eat and I want her to rest up. When Jeff attacked us, she was injured so she really should be in bed. After all, she can barely handle soup.” Zaza gave me a look from the corner of their eye and I sighed.

 

 _Here we go_.

 

I was in for a lecture when we got back.

 

“Oh alright. She can meet him another time. Maybe you can bring Tobias along too when the time is right.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, you get better young lady.” Grandma walked over to me and kissed my forehead. I gave a little grunt. I wasn’t used to anyone other than my parents kissing me. This was something I was going to have to get used to. “Rest up and listen to Lou.”

“ _Fine_...” She and Zaza laughed and after some more hugs, Zaza and I left the house and we made our way back to the asylum. Now all we had to do was explain to Papa everything that had just happened.

 

I couldn’t wait to see how _that_ was going to go.


	28. Chapter 28

Zaza and I made our way back to the asylum and for most of the walk, we were silent but something was on my mind the whole time. When we got to the bridge, I stopped and turned to Zaza. “Hey, how come you followed Jr and me back to your old house?”

“I don’t really know...” Zaza said with a sigh. “I guess... I guess I wanted to be there to make sure he didn’t say anything that would compromise us...”

“Are you sure it wasn’t because you missed your parents?”

“I guess on some level I did miss them but I had to tell myself that I couldn’t let my emotions get in the way. I have been telling myself this for the last sixteen years... I told myself that I would never be able to see them again so I had to distance myself, emotionally...” Zaza sighed and looked down at the ground. “After so many years I finally convinced myself that I didn’t miss my parents or care about them anymore... It’s funny what you believe given enough time and repetition...”

“Have you ever thought about them while back at Oregon?”

“No. Not really. After leaving I had quickly forgotten about them. I was too focused on remaining undetected from the police to think about them, even for a second.”

“How come? For my whole life, both you and Papa have valued family more than anything. How come you didn’t think about yours?”

“That‘s different...”

“Is it?”

“Feronia, watch your tone.” That was Zaza’s warning tone but I chose to ignore it.

“Zaza-“

“ _Enough_. This is different because I could be putting my family in danger by being near them.”

“But you have no problem putting me in danger by sending me out on missions!”

“Last warning Feronia!”

“ _Whatever_. I still don’t see a difference and I think you should stop worrying about what could happen and reconnect with your family. They are family after all!” And with that, I started walking away at a brisk pace. I didn’t want Zaza to yell at me. I said what I wanted to say and now we just had to get back home.

I assumed that Zaza was pretty shocked with me talking back despite the warnings they had given me and for a good few seconds, I didn’t hear them walking behind me. They must have been processing what had just happened but soon I heard their shoes crunching in the snow just a few feet behind me.

After that, we didn’t say anything else to each other. The air around us was a bit tense but we ignored it the best we could. We still weren’t talking by the time we got back. Since I was in the lead, I made it to the top floor first. There I saw Jane, EJ and another person I hadn’t seen before sitting on the couches. Well, Jane and EJ were sitting normally but this new person was lying on the couch upside down with his legs on the backrest. He was playing on a portable gaming device and didn’t even bother to look up when we entered the room.

“So where have you two been?” Jane crossed her arms. She was not impressed, to put it mildly.

“Sorry, Jane. We just went out for a walk.” Zaza explained with a shrug. “Feronia and I wanted to talk, just the two of us and since we both enjoy being in the woods we walked around in there.”

“Next time, tell us you’re heading out.”

“Don’t worry. We don’t plan on heading out for a while. We are just going to rest and be with Toby. Speaking of which, how is he doing?”

“I’m doing just fine.” That sent a chill down my spine but it wasn’t a negative feeling. I was just so shocked to hear his voice and it was so unexpected since the last time I saw him, he was out cold. I whipped around in the direction his voice was coming from and when I saw him I let out a gasp.

Papa was standing right by his bedroom door and leaning against the wall for support but he looked fine. He was almost fully recovered. He was just a bit pale and thin but for the most part, he was fine.

“Toby!” Zaza exclaimed. They rushed over to him and almost tackled him in a hug but they made sure not to squeeze him too hard. “Oh my god! I’m so glad you’re alright!” I could see tears forming in the corner of Zaza’s eyes as they buried their face in Papa’s chest.

“Well I couldn’t let two gunshots take me out, after all, I have a job to look after you and Feronia. I can’t abandon you guys just yet.” He returned the hug but it was more gentle. He was still injured after all. With a smile, he bent his head down and kissed the top of Zaza’s head.

I let them have their little moment before pushing my way through. Zaza moved to the side and let me hug Papa while they dried their face. He gave me a big hug. I didn’t expect such a big hug from a man who was still recovering from two gunshot wounds. “I’m so glad to see that you are safe!” came his muffled voice from the top of my head.

“I’m happy to see that you’ve recovered!”

“But how? Just hours ago you could barely keep your eyes open...”

“I... I don’t know...” Papa looked down at himself then back up at Zaza in confusion. “I don’t know how I recovered so quickly but I’m glad I did. I can now see and hold you two. My darlings.” Papa reached out and it looked as if he was going to hug us but a tic interrupted him. Zaza and I couldn’t help it. We laughed. I could see his face turn pink out of embarrassment and that caused us to laugh even harder.

“Damn tics...” He hissed under his breath. “Ruining such a sweet moment...”

“That’s alright sweetheart, as I always say, your tics are adorable,” Zaza said with a smile on their face. Papa blushed even more and turned his head away from us.

“Shut up...”

“I only speak the truth.” Zaza giggled then kissed Papa on the cheek. “You are very handsome and your tics are so adorable.”

“Oh stop!” Zaza giggled. I rolled my eyes when Papa pulled them in close and planted a kiss on their lips. It got intense pretty quickly and I was about to stop them but Jane beat me to it.

“Alright! That’s enough!” She marched right up to them and literally tore them apart. “Tobias still needs to rest so no _funny_ business for a while. You got that, Lou?” She leaned in close to Zaza and crossed her arms to show that she meant business. I would have been scared but Zaza shrugged.

“We weren’t going to do anything.” Zaza sounded so innocent.

“Mmhmm. And you won’t be doing anything because EJ will be sharing a room with him until he is better and you will go back to your room with Feronia.”

“Alright. I can wait.” They looked over at Papa and winked. I watched and made a sound of disgust which caused everyone in the room to laugh.

“Gross...”

“Let us be gross,” Zaza said to which Jane shook her head.

“Not until he has fully healed. Actually... Speaking of which, how on earth is he up and about right now?”

“I don’t know.”

“I do.” Everyone turned to me with wide eyes as they waited for me to explain. I took a deep breath. “Well... Papa... Zaza... don’t be mad at me but I sorta made a deal...with... with the Boss...”

“You what?!” Zaza and Papa exclaimed in unison. I was expecting this kind of reaction but I wasn’t expecting them to speak so loud. It made me jump.

“Please don’t be angry... I... I just wanted Papa to get better...”

“Why would you even _think_ of doing such a thing?!” Papa stormed up to me and grabbed me by the shoulders. I let out a yelp. I didn’t want to look in his eyes but he shook me which forced me to look up at him. His eyes were narrowed in anger and I could see his aura turn a deep red colour. He was pissed. “You have no clue what you have done! What did he say to you?! Whatever he offered, it wasn’t worth it! What did he say?!”

“Toby, let her go.” I heard Zaza say. “This isn’t necessary.”

“It isn’t?!” He turned to Zaza so quickly that they flinched and took a step back. “Our daughter made a deal with the Boss without knowing anything about him! He manipulated her into making a deal and I want to know what he told her!”

“He said that he could heal you and in return he wanted me to be his proxy and he will teach me everything I need to know in order to be a good killer...”

 

Papa went silent.

 

Everyone did.

 

No one said a word and all eyes were on me. I dropped my head in shame and waited for a big lecture. I expected Papa to explode first but it was actually Jane who was the first to explode. She smashed her fist on the wall next to her and I swear it made the whole room shake. “ **YOU IDIOT GIRL!** ”

“Sorry...but I wanted Papa to get better...”

“He would have gotten better in time!”

“Feronia. You are grounded.” I looked up at Papa with wide eyes.

“What?! For how long?!”

“Zaza and I will discuss that. For now, off to your room.” He finally let me go and pointed to the door at the end of the hall.

I looked to where he was pointing then looked over at Zaza then finally back at Papa. “Fine but I’m not going down alone. Zaza went to see their parents and they are going to visit again at six tonight.”

“Feronia!” Zaza gasped.

“It’s not like you could have kept it a secret even if you did sneak out. They would have found out eventually.” Papa looked at Zaza with a shocked expression and I left the room. I left them to deal with that while I got the hell out. There was no way I wanted to witness the fight that was surely going to go down.

I closed the door of my room behind me and got in the bed. I sighed as I got settled and pulled the covers up. I felt so tired and it felt so good to snuggle up in a comfy bed. Once I settled down, I closed my eyes and went to sleep. Well, I _tried_ to but it was hard as my parents were fighting. They were yelling at each other and even a few rooms down, I could still hear them quite clearly. I was able to make out most of the words that were said.

They were fighting about Zaza going out into town and how stupid that was. Everyone there assumed that they were dead so it was stupid to go back. He also told them that they shouldn’t go back. He didn’t want to risk someone following them back but they tried to reassure him that it would be alright and that they made a promise to their mother that they would return but he wasn’t having any of that. He told them that they were not to go back under any circumstances and that was that. The fight ended with those words and only seconds later I heard a door slam. Papa must have returned to his room.

I wasn’t sure but I had a feeling Zaza was speaking to Jane which was done in a more appropriate volume for indoors. I did feel bad that I had caused an argument but what’s done is done. Papa would have found out eventually anyway but I didn’t expect him to explode the way he did. Zaza didn’t deserve to get yelled at but I could see why Papa was so upset. If anyone followed Zaza back here then it could put us all in danger which is the last thing any of us would want.

I sighed and after the arguing, tried again to go back to sleep. I managed to after a while of struggling and when I woke up, I felt like shit. I had one of those naps where you feel terrible when you wake up. I groaned and reached over to the side table and picked up the cup of water that was kept there. All through my recovery, Zaza made sure that there was always water next to me in case I got thirsty. I took a huge sip then got out of bed. Since I was grounded, I assumed I wasn’t allowed out of my room so I didn’t even try to leave. I didn’t want to risk running into Papa and get yelled at again.

I looked out the window and sighed. What was I going to do? I had nothing to entertain myself with and I couldn’t go anywhere. At least I still had a wonderful view from my room but after a while, I got bored looking out the window. I turned around and was about to go back to bed but stopped when the door opened.

Zaza came in and shut the door behind them. “Would you like to come with me to visit my family?” Well, that was unexpected.

“What? Are you serious?”

“Yeah. We need to get out and leave Papa here to sulk.”

“But if I go then I will get in even more trouble if that’s even possible and Papa will be super pissed with you. He told you not to leave!”

“He’s not the boss of me. He can be mad about it all he wants but he can’t control me. If I want to go somewhere then I will go.”

“I don’t know about this... I haven’t seen Papa that angry before... What if he leaves us for disobeying him..?”

“He won’t do that. His love for us outweighs anything. He only got angry because he cares about us and wants us to be safe.” They came over to me and rubbed my back. “Come. Let’s get some fresh air and leave Mr. Grumpy to cool off.”

I giggled. “Alright. I have nothing to do here anyway.”

“Great! Let’s get going.” Zaza went over to a chest that I hadn’t even noticed before. They opened it up and pulled out winter clothing. They passed me a pair of boots and a coat then pulled some out for themselves. We put the clothing on then went to the door. Zaza opened it and peeked down the hallway to see if Papa was in sight. He wasn’t anywhere in sight so they slipped out of the room. I followed and when we walked down the hall we made sure to be as quiet as possible. Zaza looked in the living room to see if anyone was there and when they saw that the area was empty, they motioned for me to follow them down the stairs and I did.

We went down to the main floor then left through the broken door. It was a bit warm out but the wind made it feel so much colder than it really was. The sun setting didn’t help either. I was afraid that we were going to freeze before we got to the house. I pulled the thick coat around my small body and off we went. We crossed the bridge and I could hear the water rushing underneath our feet. With it being so cold, I was surprised that it hadn’t frozen over.

We eventually made it to the park and from there we went down the street and to Zaza’s childhood home. I was excited. I had already met my grandmother but now I was going to meet my grandpa.

“Hey Zaza, what kind of person is opa?”

“Mmhmm? Oh, well he’s a nice enough guy I guess.” They shrugged.

“You guess?”

“Well, I mean, he’s a quiet sort of guy who is hardworking and cares deeply about his family. I’m not sure how else I can describe him. He is a good person and a good father but some might not agree with that last bit.”

“Why?”

“Well he is so busy with work that he is gone most of the day and he quite often leaves the country to give talks. He had been to so many different countries like Japan, Canada, England, Egypt, China where he has been six times-”

“Excuse me?!”

Zaza chuckled. “Yeah. He has been to so many places that I can’t even name them all and he has been to some places multiple times. Not only that but he has a few different awards and has published 200 articles and co-authored a few books. He is a very successful man. He can be described as a workaholic so to some people, he might be seen as a bad father as he’s away a lot of the time but he isn’t. He is a great dad. He just happens to have a very successful job that requires him to travel the world and that allows us to live a good life without worrying about money. Well... Allows my mom and brother that luxury...”

“And yet you gave up that comfortable life when you ran away. You had no clue if you would have enough money for food. Why would you leave such a life?”

“You know the answer. It’s because of what I do but I see what you mean. I mean, I did worry so many times about money and if I could support myself but after Toby came along I was put at ease. Together we were able to make enough that eventually, we didn’t have to worry about it.”

“I probably wouldn’t have left if I was in your position.”

“Well maybe but maybe not. You don’t know how life was like for me back then but maybe you would have stayed. Who knows but that was the past.” With the way Zaza said that I knew our conversation was over and just in time too. We were already at the end of the driveway. I saw two cars parked there. Grandpa had already arrived.

 

It was time.

 

Zaza was going to reunite with him and I was going to meet my grandfather.


	29. Chapter 29

Zaza went up to the door and rang the doorbell. It was so loud that we could hear it clearly from outside and within seconds the heavy green door swung open. It was Oma and she had a big smile on her face. “Welcome! Come on in. Your father just arrived a few minutes ago.” Zaza nodded and we went inside. We removed our boots and left them on the black mat and when we took off our coats, Oma took them and hung them up in the front closet. “Hello, Feronia. Did you decide to join us? I thought you needed to rest.”

“I _should_ be resting but I needed to get out. Zaza and I got into an argument with Papa so we thought it was best to leave so he could cool down.”

“An argument? Is everything alright?” She sounded concerned so I quickly spoke up.

“Don’t worry Oma. Everything is fine. He was just worried because of our injuries. It’s no big deal.”

“Are you sure? Both times you two have visited, you mentioned him having a temper...”

"Mom, there is nothing to worry about. Toby is a good man but right now our lives are just full of tension." Zaza reassured. They even gave a smile to try and ease Oma’s suspicions. She wasn’t entirely convinced but let it go.

"Alright but if you ever need to talk, I’m here."

"Thanks mom but we’re fine.“ Zaza gave Oma a hug and we all went to sit in the living room. “So where is dad?”

“He just went to freshen up but he should be out soon.”

“Does he know that I have returned?”

“Not yet. He only just came home.”

“What about Jr?” I asked.

Oma sighed. “He’s here but I asked him to stay in his room so he wouldn’t cause a commotion. That’s the last thing we need for the family reunion. I don’t know why he’s acting like this. I apologize once again for his behavior earlier.”

“Mom, you really don’t have to apologize for him. You aren’t responsible for his actions.”

“I know but I still feel bad…”

“He might be jealous,” I suggested. They both looked at me and I could tell they were waiting for me to explain myself. “He was the only child for the past thirteen years and now he sees Zaza as competition. That and I know for a fact that he has been angry all this time that you and Opa bring up Zaza all the time. He thinks that because you two have him that you shouldn’t worry about them anymore and it’s kinda true. You might have lost a kid but if you have another you should focus on them instead.”

“While that makes sense it is still no excuse for him to act in such a way.”

“Well what’s done is done.” Zaza shrugged. “Let’s stop focusing on him and go back to our reunion. I’m sure you would love to see some family photos.”

“Oh, I would love to!” Oma exclaimed and clapped her hands together in excitement. I could swear I saw her eyes even sparkle.

“Wait, you brought some of our photos?” I asked.

“Yep.”

“But how did you get them? Aren’t they still in the RV?”

“Yeah they were but I went and got them last week. I wanted a distraction while you and Papa were still recovering.” Zaza reached in the pocket of their coat and pulled out a pile of Polaroid photos. There were quite a few but I knew that Zaza hadn’t brought them all. Over the years both they and Papa took hundreds of photos but it looked like they had maybe fifty or so. “Now these aren’t all of them as I couldn’t possibly bring every single one we took but I did bring some of the best I think. All of these are focused on Feronia except this one.” They took the first photo from the pile and handed it over to Oma.

“Aww isn’t this lovely. Is this him?”

Zaza nodded. “Yes. That’s Tobias and me back when I was still pregnant with Feronia. We took it after settling down in Oregon as a way of celebrating the next step of our life.”

“You two look so happy.” Oma smiled as she looked at the photo. “This reminds me of your father and me, especially in our younger days.”

“You haven’t even seen them together in real life. They are so in love that it’s disgusting.” Oma started laughing when I made a look of disgust.

“That’s adorable.”

“Not for me. It’s gross.”

“When you find love then your opinion will change.” Zaza giggled and pulled me into a hug.

“Whatever.”

Zaza and Oma exchanged looks and smiled. “Teenagers,” they said in unison. I pouted.

 

_Meanies._

 

“Now if you don’t mind me asking...” Oma said when the laughter died down. “Earlier during your last visit you said that you were dating Jeff when you got pregnant but now you are referring to Tobias as her father...”

“Oh... Yeah... about that... Well, when I left I didn’t tell anyone, especially Jeff and while on the run, I met Toby. We didn’t get along at first but we were both running from our homes so we decided to team up. There is strength in numbers after all and we quickly fell in love. It only took a few weeks and we were inseparable.”

“Nothing has changed,” I commented. “As gross as it can be to see them together, they are _proof_ that true love is real. I always thought it was something only true in stories but when I see Papa and Zaza together, I know it’s real. They made it real and made me believe in it.”

“Well isn’t that sweet. I am so happy you found someone Lou.”

“Yeah. He’s great and he didn’t even mind that I was pregnant with someone else’s child. When I told him, he rushed to get the RV home ready for her. He went out and bought everything a baby would need and more. He loved her from the very moment I told him about her and I couldn’t be luckier. I was so afraid he might have left me because a child is a lot of work but he didn’t. He stayed and not only that, he wanted to raise her. He _wanted_ to be a father. Even today, I still can’t believe it. He didn’t have to stay. He was just eighteen and he wasn’t related to her. He had no reason to stay but he did anyway and when she was born... He was so happy he couldn’t contain his emotions. He started crying the moment he caught her. He cut the cord, held her close and told her how beautiful she is and that he would always take care of her. Blood didn’t matter to him. He said that even if he didn’t share DNA with her, he was still her father.” Zaza was crying now. Tears were streaming down their face. “I am so lucky to have him in my life. I don’t know what I would have done without him and when I thought he was going to die... God, I was so scared... Sorry... I don’t mean to cry but I never got the chance before. I was in shock since the attack and never got the chance to cry out my emotions. I was so scared that I would lose not only Toby but my only child too.”

“What? Just how did the two get injured and how bad are your injuries Feronia?” Oma looked at me with fear and shock written all over her face.

“Well I still don’t know how bad my injuries were,” I replied with a shrug. “No one told me anything but I know that Papa was pretty banged up.”

“That’s an understatement.” Zaza scoffed.

“ _True_...” I sighed. “Papa was shot twice. Once in the shoulder and the second time...” I couldn’t bring myself to finish. I was afraid that I would start crying if I went into detail about what happened.

“Toby...” Zaza spoke after my voice trailed off. “The second bullet hit his cheek. It didn’t go into his head but grazed the side of his face which tore open his cheek. There is very little skin left... There is no hope in trying to repair it so my friend stopped the bleeding and stitched up what he could but there really wasn’t much there... It was a horrible sight...”

“That is was... I saw when it happened... I saw the bullet hit and his face just exploded... Flesh and blood fell on to the snow... It was horrible....” I sniffed as I held back the tears. “Then the next thing I remember was getting shot in the stomach.”

“Oh my God...” Oma said in disbelief.

“I know this sounds bad mom but trust me when I say that we are alright. We recovered thanks with the help of my friend who is a very skilled doctor.”

“Were you shot too?”

“No. I was lucky but it doesn’t make me feel any better. After seeing my family bleeding out I might as well have been shot...” Zaza used their sleeve to dry their face but the tears kept coming. “The sight was like a shot to my heart and I was so afraid that they were going to die but luckily, they didn’t. Toby and Feronia recovered but I still worry. I worry that something like this could happen again so when we are better, we will go into hiding. I don’t want anything like that to happen to us ever again. I’m sorry mom but it’s something we have to do. I need to keep my family safe.”

“Lou, sweetie, you don’t have to. You can stay with us. You’ll be safe. The three of you.” Oma reached out and grabbed Zaza’s hand and squeezed.

“No mom. You don’t understand. We have to go back into hiding. We will be safer out in the woods where no one can find us. And it will be better for you and dad.”

“What are you talking about? How could that be better? I want you here with us. After all this time we thought you were dead! You can’t leave us again!”

“I’m afraid we’ll have to. You just don’t understand mom... I know it will be hard but we have to but at least you will know that I am alive and safe.”

“Lou... _Please_ don’t do this... There are other ways... If you are in danger then the police can help-“

“Mom. Drop it. After a few more visits, I won’t say how many, Toby and I will be taking Feronia elsewhere.”

“I’m sorry but I can’t allow that.” This made Zaza pause and I perked up. She sounded serious. “If you try to take her away then I will take this to court and get custody.”

“You can’t do that!” I said suddenly. “If my parents want to move us somewhere else then you will just have to accept it! Sure, I want to stay and get to know my grandparents but ultimately, where we live is up to my parents so if they say we go, then we will go and you can’t do anything about it! There is nothing wrong with moving your family to another location. No one, not you or the courts can stop us.”

“If you are in danger then yes, the courts can step up.”

I was getting angry with her now. “Well I’m not in danger and even if I was, I can protect myself,” I said more defensively than I intended. “You don’t know our family or situation. Just drop the matter. I want this to be a nice conversation and I want there to be a positive atmosphere for when Opa comes in. I have been waiting for a long time to meet him and to get to know the both of you so please can we just put this all behind us?”

There was silence. Oma and Zaza didn’t say a word. Zaza looked off to the side while Oma looked down at the ground. It stayed like that for an uncomfortable amount of time until Opa finally entered the room. He was in long pajama bottoms and an old looking t-shirt. He looked up and when he saw Zaza and me, his eyes widened. “What do we have here? Why didn’t you tell me we were having guests? I’m not dressed appropriately for visitors.”

“Dad...” Zaza looked up at him and smiled. They got to their feet and took a step in his direction.

“What...?”

“Honey, this is Lou,” Oma said and she too stood up. “I told you. After all this time, she was still alive and now she has returned to us.”

“I’m sorry about leaving... It was the last thing I wanted to do but I was afraid. I didn’t know how you and mom would react to becoming grandparents...” They held out their arm to me so I also got up and went over to Zaza who put their arm around me. “Dad, meet your granddaughter, Feronia.”

“Wait... You... You’re Lou..? And this... this is your daughter..?”

“Yeah... Go ahead and be angry at me. I deserve any and everything you have to say to me.” Zaza was shocked when Opa dashed up to us and basically tackled us in a hug. I somehow got trapped in the middle and I could feel my soul slowly evaporate from my body. Here we go again...

“You’re alive! Oh my gosh! My daughter!” He pulled away from the hug just enough so he could plant kisses all over Zaza’s face. While he was doing that I managed to wiggle myself free and backed away so I could finally breathe. I took in a deep breath then looked back at Opa and Zaza. Zaza looked like they were about to suffocate to death under all that love. I giggled as I saw the expression on Zaza’s face. It looked like they just wanted to be let go.

When Opa was done Zaza took a step back and gave a sigh of relief. “Dad, are you trying to kill me with love?”

He howled with laughter. “Oh Lou, you haven’t changed at all. Still the same even after all these years.”

“The only thing that has changed is my appearance.” Zaza shrugged.

“I can see that. You finally grew out your hair. We told you to do that for so long.” He looked down at Zaza as he was quite a bit taller. “It looks nice.”

“Thanks. I thought it would be nice to grow it out and now it’s easy to keep it out of my face. My daughter, on the other hand, took on after me and decided to keep her hair short.” Zaza pulled me into a side hug and kissed my cheek.

“So this is your kid, huh?”

“Yeah. Isn’t she beautiful?”

“Zaza, stop it.” I giggled and gave them a gentle shove. Zaza and my grandparents laughed and I gave a little smile.

“She is a very beautiful girl. She looks just like you.” Opa said and nodded in agreement.

“Do you think so? I think she looks more like her dad.”

“I don’t know. I’ve seen pictures of you when you were younger and had short hair and I think I look a lot like you.”

“It’s the hairstyle,” Oma said and we all nodded in agreement.

“Definitely the hair. It’s the same shade and with the short hair, she looks like a mini Lou but the face is different.” Opa observed. He looked at me and I felt like an animal being studied.

“I just have my Papa’s face.”

“I would like to meet him. Where is he?”

“He’s at home resting right now but we will bring him on another visit. Oh, Zaza, now that Opa is here, tell them about the engagement!”

“Engagement?”

“Yeah! They are engaged! Tell them!”

“I can’t wait to hear this! Let me go grab some snacks!” Oma sure was excited but I was more excited about the snacks after she mentioned them.

We all went to sit down while she went to the kitchen. She reached in the cupboard and brought out a tray full of brownies. _Chocolate brownies_. My mouth watered when she brought them over. “Those look so good!”

Oma giggled and put two on a plate and gave it to me. I practically snatched it from her and took a big bite out of one of the brownies. I looked over at Zaza as I did and saw the rolling their eyes. “Oh great. That is just what she needs, a bunch of sugar...”

“Hey, it is my duty as a grandmother to spoil her with sugary treats.”

“If you were to leave her with us for the day she would go back to you with a stomach full of treats.” Opa joked.

“Good to know.”

“Now tell us of the engagement!” Oma said with excitement and sat down beside Opa. All eyes were on Zaza now.

“Here we go.” Zaza got comfortable and cleared their throat. “It all started when we went into town to go celebrate Feronia’s birthday. It was a great time and after we decided to go back home, Toby decided to be his silly self. It all started when we talked about our favourite movie genres. Toby and Feronia love anything that has to do with superheroes but as you know, I love anything to do with fantasy. I said that fantasy will always be my first love so Toby spoke up and said, ‘what about me?’ which had us both laughing.”

“He then acted all dramatic and pretended to be heartbroken,” I said. That got my grandparents laughing.

“He sounds like a fun guy,” Oma said and I nodded.

“Zaza hasn’t even gotten to the good part.”

“Right. And after that, he asked if he could win me back with an actual proposal. It started off with him being silly and it was cute but he is able to go from silly to serious in the blink of an eye. All of a sudden, it went from fun and games to an actual marriage proposal and when I realized that he was serious, I was so embarrassed. Mostly because it was in a public place and there was a crowd gathering around us when people realized what was going on. His speech was amazing and very romantic. This little one was laughing for most of the time.” I laughed when Zaza reached over and gave me a noogie.

“I thought Papa was just being silly. I didn’t know he was being serious.”

“Yeah but you were really laughing your ass off. I thought you were going to pass out.”

“I feel like I almost did.” I giggled.

“You were laughing that much?” Opa asked in semi-amazement and I nodded.

“Zaza’s face was funny because they were so shocked and embarrassed. Papa didn’t get down on one knee but that didn’t matter. When he took out the ring box I knew it was serious and I swear my heart stopped.”

“Mine did too,” Zaza said. “I couldn’t believe it was actually happening. We had been so focused on raising Feronia that marriage never crossed our minds but now that she’s older and not as dependant on us we can focus on ourselves.”

“And this way I can be a part of the wedding and help plan it! Can I help pick out your outfit and do your hair?!”

“Of course you can!” Zaza gave me a few kisses on the cheek and we giggled.

“Oh, this will be so much fun!” Oma gave Zaza a big hug and when she pulled away, Opa also gave them a hug. “When will the wedding be? Have you discussed it at all?”

Zaza shook their head. “We haven’t had the time because of what happened to us but we will start talking soon. Maybe it can happen in the next month?”

“Next month? That’s hardly any time to plan a wedding!” Oma exclaimed.

“Well I don’t want a big wedding and I’m sure Toby is the same. He might just want it to be with our friends in a little ceremony. The most he’d want is some snacks and maybe some nice clothes but nothing more.”

“No activities or anything?”

“I’m not sure. I’d have to talk to him about it.”

“Zaza, I think it should be a summer wedding so we can have fun activities outside and maybe a water balloon fight or something. We all love having fun with water in the summer.”

“That’s a good idea. We will bring it up to Papa when we get back.”

“While this is all lovely, I still have many questions.” Opa interrupted although he did try to be polite about it.

“I know you do but mom can explain everything to you although there is one thing that needs to come from me. As you have noticed, Feronia calls me Zaza instead of mom. That is because I don’t see myself as either a male or female. I prefer gender-neutral pronouns like they and them and Zaza is gender neutral for a parent.”

“Okay... and when did this start?”

“I always felt this way and knew this is who I was but I didn’t say anything because I didn’t know how you two would react...”

“I see...” I held my breath as I waited to see what he was going to say next. His aura seemed to be conflicted. He didn’t know how to feel and that made me nervous. “Well, as long as you are happy and healthy I don’t care how you see yourself. You are still our child and this doesn’t change my love for you.” Zaza let out a sob and threw themselves at Opa. They wrapped their arms around his neck and kissed his face over and over again.

“I’m so happy to hear you say that. All this time I was so worried about it that it drove me to run away. I also ran because of my pregnancy with Feronia... It was all too much for me at barely eighteen years old... I didn’t know what to do but now that I know you wouldn’t have rejected me, I feel so stupid for leaving... Please forgive me!”

“Lou, honey, you don’t need to ask for our forgiveness. We don’t care about all that.” Opa reassured them. “All we care about is that you’re home now and that you’re safe. Whatever your reason for leaving, it doesn’t matter now. Alright?”

“I still feel bad... I went as far as too spread blood all over my bed to make it look like I was kidnapped...”

“None of that matters now.” Oma kissed Zaza’s forehead and they smiled.

“Alright. If you say so...” They both hugged Zaza and I smiled. Since I couldn’t get in the hug I settled with just holding their hand.

After that, we talked for a bit about how life how was for us but it was getting late. We had to head home. Of course, my grandparents wanted to know where home was but we couldn’t tell them. All Zaza said was that we were staying with some of their friends which _was_ true. I could tell Oma and Opa were annoyed by this but they gave up when they realized that Zaza wasn’t going to say anymore. We all said our goodbyes and off we went.


	30. Chapter 30

We arrived home and as expected, Papa was not happy. He was waiting for us on one of the worn out sofas with his arms crossed. I was half expecting him to be angrily reading a book or something as that has been portrayed in movies but he wasn’t the type of person who read books very often. Hardly ever, actually. In all my life I think I have only seen him read a book from cover to cover about four times. Books he read to me as a kid didn’t count.

“Hey Papa...” I said nervously as Zaza and made our way to the top floor.

“It’s late.” He said very bluntly.

“Late It’s not even eight o’clock yet!”

“I think you should head off to bed. You still need to recover.”

“But I feel fine.”

“Feronia,” Zaza said and put a hand on my shoulder. “You should go to bed. I’ll bring you some food in a bit. Just go get changed.”

“ _Fine_.” I wasn’t too thrilled with being sent to bed early but I didn’t fight it. There was no point, especially if both my parents told me to go to my room. There was no chance in hell I would win that argument so I just went with it.

I went into the room that had been given to me and went over to the big chest. If Zaza stored the winter clothes in there then I assumed they stored PJs and other clothing items in there too. They said they went to the RV to retrieve the family photos so they must have picked up some other items there too. I opened up the chest and saw a pile of my clothes. I took out my warm PJs and changed into them. They felt nice after that long, half hour walk in the cold. It was already dark so the temperature dropped quite a bit. I was shivering by the time we came back but my fleece PJs quickly warmed me up.

After changing, I dumped my dirty clothes on the floor next to the chest and curled up in bed. The blanket was very thick and warm so it was perfect for winter. This room did have a fireplace but it only warmed it up so much. The old windows were cracked here and there and the wood was starting to rot so any warmth the fire produced quickly escaped. It was much warmer than outside but it still felt cold. If I touched the walls it would feel like I was touching a block of ice.

How did the other people living here make it through the winter?!

I pulled the covers up and waited for Zaza to come in with food. It took a while but soon they entered with two plates full of delicious smelling food. “I hope you’re ready for some pasta,” Zaza said with a smile. They came over and sat beside me then handed me one of the plates.

“That smells amazing! Thanks!”

“Oh don’t thank me. Jane was the one who made this.”

"She must be an amazing cook."

"That she is. Now eat up before it gets cold.” They didn’t have to tell me twice. I took the fork they offered me and dug right in. “Someone sure was hungry.” They giggled.

“Well yeah, I’ve been stuck on a diet of soup and crackers for too long. I’ve been craving something this tasty ever since I woke up!” I shoved piece after piece in my mouth. I didn’t even chew. I just shoved the food in and swallowed.

“Baby, you don’t have to inhale. No one is going to steal it from you.” Zaza chuckled.

“I know but it's so tasty!”

“Well you’re going to have to tell Jane the next time you see her. She loves to hear that someone enjoys her cooking.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that.” I finished up the last of my meal then put the plate down on the bed. “Hey, Zaza?”

“Yeah?”

“How mad was Papa? I’m assuming you two talked before you came in here…”

“Yeah, we did…” They sighed and dropped their fork on their plate. “He is still mad about us going to see my parents so I don’t even want to think about his reaction to when I tell him that they want to meet him…”

“That will be a very interesting conversation… When are you going to bring it up?”

“I’ll let him cool down tonight and see how he’s doing tomorrow.”

“Hopefully he will have cooled off by then.”

“We can only hope.” We both sighed and Zaza finished their food. When it was all gone, they stacked up the plates and stood up. “I’m going to put these in the sink then be right back. Is there anything else you need?”

“I think I’m all set.”

“Alright. I’ll be back in just a second.” They left the room and in only a matter of seconds, they returned. I laid down and got comfortable while they got dressed and when they were ready for bed, the crawled in next to me. I smiled as they wrapped an arm around me and soon fell asleep.

I slept soundly the whole night knowing that Zaza was with me and that my Papa was going to be alright. I woke up the next morning at sunrise. Not even Zaza was awake at this point. I giggled when I looked down at them and saw them sprawled across their side of the bed. Their long brown hair was a mess and they were snoring softly. I wondered how Papa was able to sleep with them in that bed in our home. It was a queen sized bed but if Zaza always spread out like this then that wouldn’t leave too much room for Papa. I wondered how many times he ended up on the floor because of them. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was almost every night before they gave up the bed to me and went out in the tent.

I carefully got out of bed, trying not to wake up Zaza and slipped out of the room. I was hoping to find some food like pancakes or something but in a place like this, I didn’t expect to find something like that. I would have been lucky to nab a piece of toast.

I went into the kitchen that was in the corner of the living room but there wasn’t much there. There were a few tables that acted as countertops and some coolers which I assumed held the food. I cracked open one but before I could see what was inside I heard someone clear their throat. I turned around and saw EJ standing by the stairs. It looked like he had just come up. Had he just arrived from a mission?

“Oh, hey, EJ right?” I slowly closed the cooler and turned to face him.

“What are you doing, snooping around at this hour?”

“I was just looking for some food. I’m hungry.”

“You won’t find anything edible in there.” He dropped the bag he had slung over one shoulder to the ground and approached me.

“Is this not the kitchen? It looks like one.” I looked around at the area behind me then back at him.

“It is but you wouldn’t want to eat what’s in there.” He went over to the cooler I had just touched and made sure it was properly closed. I was curious and titled my head to the side.

“What _is_ in there?”

“You really want to know?” Now I was a bit suspicious but still, I nodded my head. “Human kidney’s are in this one.” I almost choked.

“W-What..? _Excuse_ me? _Human_ kidneys?” I gave a nervous laugh. “You’re joking, right? This is a joke.”

“No.” He said it so… so casually… But… but how?! I had no words. He could tell that I didn’t believe him so he opened up the lid and reached in. I held my breath and when he pulled out his hand he was holding an oversized kidney bean… _Except_ … it _wasn’t_ a kidney bean… It was an actual kidney… He wasn’t lying… He… He was telling the truth…

 

_That was a real kidney…_

 

I started heaving. He dropped the organ back in the cooler and rushed to my side. Somewhere along the way, he picked up an empty bucket which he held in front of me and I threw up in it. I spat out the remainder of the vomit then looked up at him. “Thanks…” I said weakly.

“No problem kid.” He rubbed my back and put the bucket to the side. “How would you like some real food? If your stomach can handle it, that is. I can’t cook but I can get Jane. She normally gets up at this hour anyway.”

“Do you mind? I’m starving…” My stomach rumbled shortly after. EJ chuckled and helped me sit down on the nearest sofa. I thanked him and he went off to one of the few rooms in this place and in no time, returned with Jane. I still got the creeps when I looked at both of them but they were good people, on some degree. They were killers after all…

“Hey sweetie, EJ told me you’re hungry.” She sat beside me and rubbed my shoulders. She was acting like Zaza would. “He also told me that you just threw up. Are you sure your stomach can handle food?”

“If it’s something simple then yeah, I think so…”

“Alright. Let’s start with some toast and see how you feel after that. If your stomach feels well enough then I’ll make some scrambled eggs for you. Does that sound good?”

“That sounds great.”

“Great.” She smiled and went over to the kitchen. She got out some bread and sliced it. I guessed they made their own bread. Living the way they did, they would have to make a lot of their own things. I wondered if they hunted too. It was technically against the law the hunt in this area but they already killed and stole so the laws didn’t matter to them. I waited as she prepared the toast and when it was done, she brought it over to me on a plate. “We have a few jams. Do you prefer marmalade, strawberry, raspberry, cranberry or blueberry? All of them are homemade, in case you were wondering so they taste far better than anything available in any shop.”

I giggled. “Strawberry is my favourite.”

“I thought so. You look like a strawberry kind of girl.” She winked then went to fetch the jam. She brought it over with a knife and let me spread it on my toast. When I took a bite I was amazed by the taste. It was so good! The bread was crisp and warm and the jam was so sweet and gooey!

“This is delicious!”

“There’s nothing like homemade bread and jam to perk you up in the morning.”

“We never had much homemade food back in Oregon. We were lucky enough to be able to visit the store quite often. We made most meals but with store-bought ingredients.”

“You were lucky but us, we don’t have that luxury but in my opinion, homemade foods are the best.” Another wink and she left me to finish eating in peace. While I was busy with that, she went around cleaning up the room.

I noticed a bunch of toys scattered around. They looked like toys one would get for a little girl. I raised an eyebrow. “Is there a little kid living here?”

“You could say that.”

“What does that mean?”

“Good morning!” I jumped when I heard this new voice. It sounded like a little girl… I turned around and saw a young girl, maybe eight years old. She had long brown hair, green eyes and a pink dress with matching pink socks. She looked like she could have been Zaza’s daughter… I was so shocked that I couldn’t say anything. “My name is Sally. I’m assuming you are Feronia. Yeah?”

“Y-Yeah… Um… Hi…”

“You look so much like Lou!”

“Everyone who knows Zaza has said that to me.”

“It’s true! You do! When I first arrived, Jane asked if Lou was my Zaza. Can you believe that?” She giggled and skipped around the room.

“I actually was thinking that… You look so much like them… It’s actually kinda eerie… But you can’t be. I would have known if they were pregnant eight years ago.”

“Oh no, I’m not Lou’s kid. It would be impossible because I died in the sixties!” I choked on the air as it went into my lungs.

“Wait, what?!” This little girl Sally burst out laughing at my reaction. She fell to the floor and held her sides as she laughed. I, on the other hand, was not laughing. I was stunned.

“Yes, she _is_ dead. She is a ghost. It can’t be any stranger than EJ being a demon and all of the others are proxies. Well, all except for BEN. He is also a ghost but more on the demonic side.” Jane bent down to Sally’s height and gave the laughing girl a kiss on the cheek. “She is such a little angle so therefore we love to spoil her with all the toys in the world. I assume Lou and Toby treated you the same way.”

“Yeah. I had lots of toys growing up but that didn’t last long. I was more interested in books.”

“Books?” This got Sally’s attention. “I like books too. What kind do you like?”

“I like fantasy, mostly.”

“Me too! I have some picture books about princesses! Want to see?”

“I would love too.” I smiled as she took my hand and led me to her room. It was just as small as the one my Papa was in but it felt big as it had a very simple bunk bed and one small desk in the corner. The desk had a laptop on it but it couldn’t be hers. She was more interested in toys than electronics.

“This is my room!” She twirled around and gave a little pose. “This bottom bunk is mine as you can see with the pink covers. The top one belongs to BEN and that’s his desk and laptop. All of my toys are stored under the bed in these bins but there is another chest in the living room with even more toys but my favourite is right here.” She went over to her bed and picked up a teddy bear. She held it up to show me and I smiled.

“That’s a very cute bear.”

“He is. Slenderman gave him to me and I love him!” She hugged the bear and smiled. I stayed with her for a bit as she showed me some more of her toys then went back to the living room when Jane called to announce that breakfast was almost ready. Man, had she cooked up a storm! When I walked into the room, I saw enough food to feed a small army.

“Come and get it while it’s hot everyone!”

“Food!” The boy I had seen earlier rushed in the room and dove for one of the plates. He scooped it up and seriously inhaled the food.

“BEN, can you please learn to eat like a normal person?” Jane said disapprovingly.

“But I’m not a normal person. I’m dead.” He said with a mouthful of food. Jane made a sound of disgust upon seeing it and went about serving everyone else. Sally came and sat down and ate like a proper lady. I guess she took the while princess thing very seriously.

I sat beside her and accepted the plate Jane offered. Soon everyone joined and there was a quiet chatter going around as everyone was engaged in a different conversation. The last person to enter the room was my Papa and he didn’t look happy…

“I see someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.” A man I was told was named Tim, said when he saw Papa. Papa took one look at him and rolled his eyes. Tim shrugged and went back to eating and talking with Brian.

“Good morning Papa…” I gave a small smile. His aura lightened up a bit and he took his plate from Jane. “Did you sleep well.”

“Well enough I suppose.”

“Papa, Zaza wanted to bring this up later but… Well… When we visited their parents they said they wanted to meet you…” The room went deathly silent. No one made a sound.

“Excuse me? You went to see Lou’s family? And they want to meet Toby?” Jane exclaimed.

“That will not happen,” Papa said flatly. “I am not going into town and neither are you or Zaza. Am I clear?”

“But they want to know their future son in law and they want to make arrangements for the wedding!”

“A WEDDING!?” Everyone said at once.

“Yes, Toby and I are engaged. Don’t act so surprised. We have a daughter together after all.” I hadn’t noticed Zaza was missing until now. I turned to see them walking up the stairs. Their hoodie was slightly wet from what I assumed was snow.

“Lou? Where have you been? Don’t tell me you went back in town!” Oh boy… Papa was upset…

“I was, actually but it wasn’t to see my family. I went to pick up the truck and RV. I brought it here and it’s parked out back. I was trying to see if the garage door would open for the cafeteria building but the thing is rusted to bits. There is no way that it gonna open anytime soon.”

“And that trip was just to get our home? You didn’t speak to anyone?”

“Calm your tits. I’m not trying to make daily visits with anyone. I don’t care about them enough to do that. All I want it to disappear again and act like this never happened.”

“Zaza how can you say that? Those are your parents! Your family!”

“No, they aren’t!” Zaza snapped and I jolted back in my seat. “My family is everyone in this room. They have been my family longer than you have been alive. I don’t need anyone else. I have Jane who acts like a mother to me, the Boss who is a surrogate father even though that it the last thing you’d expect from him, Sally is almost like a daughter to me and everyone else aside from Toby is like a brother to me! Why would I need anyone else? I only went to see them because I was worried about what Jr might have said to them. I wanted to make sure he didn’t tell them about this place although there is no need to worry now. I had BEN make some edits to any maps online and the Boss has some power to keep people from ever seeing this place if they happen to walk in the area. We are safe and I am sure Jr won’t remember how to even get to the bridge. We have nothing to worry about so let’s just forget any of this ever happened! Alright?”

“Zaza… Can we at least have a wedding then disappear forever? You can say you want to move to a new place or-“

“Do you really think they would allow that? After being gone all this time, they would never let me just move to a new town or god forbid a new state! We will not be going back for any reason and if you keep this up then your father and I are moving you far away from this place so you can’t go looking for them. Am I clear?”

I was silent. I didn’t know how to respond to that. This is not how I would have wanted this to go… I just wanted to know my family… We were related by blood. I had the right to know them. “Zaza… I get where you’re coming from but my grandparents are very nice and they love you. Can you at least let them see their first born child get married? Wouldn’t you want to be there for my wedding?”

“ _That isn’t a bad idea._ ” I recognized that voice…

 

_Slenderman._

 

He appeared suddenly in the room. I jumped but no one else even reacted. They were all used to this, even Papa. “ _Lou, it would be wise to let them into your life for a short while and to have a wedding. When it is done you can tell them you want to start a new life somewhere else. You can say you are moving in with Toby’s family. EJ can pretend to be his father and Jane can pretend to be his mother. This will reassure them that you and Feronia will be in good hands._ ”

“How would that work out?” I asked. “They don’t look like they could pass as his parents.”

“ _That is where I come in._ ” Slenderman said. “ _I can manipulate a person’s mind. In this case, many people at once. I can make everyone in town see an older couple who look like they are Tobias’s parents. It’s not hard to do and won’t take much energy to pull off. Everyone in town will think that they are his parents. They will look like a couple in their early sixties and sound like it too._ ”

“But what if someone tries to hug them?”

“ _I can manipulate all aspects of the mind. There is nothing to worry about. This plan will work and this way there won’t be any questions asked. If they want to call over the phone then they can. BEN can help with that. This will work out nicely._ ”

“If you say so…” Zaza sounded less enthusiastic about the whole idea. I looked over at Papa and he just nodded.

“Fine. If you say so, Boss…”

“ _Very good. You will take Tobias to meet your family and to plan a wedding. When it is over you will return here without raising suspicion._ ” And with that, he was gone.


	31. Chapter 31

The following day Zaza went to see their parents on their own. They were going to start planning the wedding and that Papa’s ‘parents’ will be coming from Denver when we got closer to picking out our outfits and such. For the next few weeks, we were going to focus on flowers, decorations, games and whatever else happens at weddings.

While Zaza was away, I stayed at home with Papa and the other Proxies to figure out a story for them to tell my grandparents when we visited. For practice, I had to call Jane grandma and EJ grandpa. They both teared up when I called them that for the first time. They were so emotional and began acting like my grandparents. It was sweet but also strange. I was glad we had a few weeks to get used to this because I was going to need it.

"So I don’t know anything about my parents but I know we all lived in Denver.“ Papa explained to Jane and EJ. "The Boss wiped all of my memories of my past which he did to control me. Has he done that with any of you guys?“ Both of them shook their heads.

"No,“ EJ said. "And look at Lou, they still have their memory. It’s strange how he took your memories but left ours but then again, we will never understand him. You must have been really problematic for him to feel the need to take your memories.”

"That sounds accurate.“ I smirked when Papa gave me a look of shock.

"Hey!“

"Sorry Papa, but it’s true.“ He pouted and we all laughed.

"Well, I guess in my younger years...“

"Nope. You are _still_ problematic.“ I jumped off the couch before Papa could grab me and put me into a headlock. I laughed when he flopped down on the couch and sighed in defeat. "You know I’m telling the truth."

"Lies!“

"Give it up buddy.“ EJ chuckled. "My granddaughter won this fight.“

"Meh.“ Papa sat up on the couch and to avoid a sneak attack, I went to sit next to 'grandma’ Jane. She wrapped her arm around me and I snuggled up to her. She kissed me on the top of my head then turned to Papa.

"So EJ and I are your parents who came from Denver. Are you our only child?“

"Yes. I don’t know if I had any siblings so we’ll just say you only wanted one kid.“

"After going through childbirth I was just over it.“ Jane giggled while EJ rolled his head in a small circle that imitated the gesture of someone rolling their eyes.

"I was done having children after your birth because you were such a problem child. Your mother and I were so busy with you that another kid never crossed our minds.“ We all laughed except for Papa. He was too busy pouting.

"That sounds like it could really be true!“ I laughed so hard that my sides were hurting. "I love it! Please use this!“

"Oh, we will.“ Jane looked at Papa and smirked.

"I hate you all...“

"Lies. You love us.“ I made a heart using my fingers and held it out to Papa. He stuck up the middle finger on his left hand so in response I dragged a finger down my cheek to mimic a tear. Jane gasped grabbed me and pulled me into a hug.

"How dare you! My granddaughter is too young and innocent to see such a thing!“ She even covered my eyes. She was getting a bit too into this whole thing.

"I’m no fucking baby.“ I said in a silly voice that was deep to make me seem tough. Jane gasped in horror and let me go. I looked up at her and saw genuine horror in her eyes.

"Feronia! Watch your tongue!“

"No.“ I laughed when she smacked my arm and made a noise of disgust. "I will not be censored!“

"Calm down kiddo.“ EJ chuckled. "You don’t want to give your grandma a heart attack, do you?“

"Well, I guess not...“ I sat back down and hugged Jane. "Sorry grandma. I won’t use a bad word again.“

"Thank you, sweetie.“ She gave me another kiss, this time on my cheek and I smiled. "Now, what will our names be?“

"Lilian for you.“ I said.

"Lilian.“ Jane repeated. "I like it. Now, what about gramps?“

"Henry.“ Papa burst out laughing.

"Henry.“ He repeated in between the laughter. Jane and I giggled and looked over at EJ. The look on his face was priceless. His mouth hung open in disbelief.

"What. The. _Fuck_. Henry?!“

"Yup.“ I giggled. It’s an old person name so it would be perfect!”

"There are better names than Henry. I want a name change.“

" _Nope_. Not gonna happen. You’re stuck with it.“ I said and he groaned. He slouched in his seat and moped about his new name. It wasn’t the coolest name on the planet but it was all I could think of in the moment so he was now stuck with it.

"Why can’t I have a cooler name? Jane has such a pretty name... Why can’t mine be as nice as Lilian?“

"Because you’re not as cool as I am.“ Jane said and flicked her long black hair behind her shoulder. EJ glared at her and stuck out his dark coloured tongue. She rolled her dark eyes that twinkled. "So we have our names and our backstory, sort of. What do my sweetheart and I do for a living?“

"It would have to be something that would bring in quite a bit of money to convince Lou’s parents that we can provide them a stable home life.“ EJ said. "I could be a surgeon as that’s what I went to school for. It will be an easy lie. I will tell them of my time at medical school and how I work as a urologist. I might not be the most famous urologist in Denver but popular enough due to demand so I make a decent salary but Jane, you need to have a decent job too.“

"Right. The more money, the higher the chance that Lou’s parents will let them and Feronia come to live with us. Hmm.“ She tapped her index finger on her chin as she thought about a good job.

While she thought, I looked over at EJ with a confused look on my face. "What is a urologist and why that profession?“

"I did go to medical school when I was still ‘alive’ if that’s how you want to see it but I never got to graduate. I did study to be a urologist just because I didn’t know what branch I wanted to go in. I had to pick so I went with that.“ He explained. "They didn’t give us a whole lot of time to choose so I put my top picks in a box and that was what I happened to pull out. Urology is basically the specialty of the human urinary tract.“

"Gross...“

"No branch is better than the other and urine isn’t that gross. Everyone pees and everyone has gentiles. No big deal plus it makes sense for me to pick that as I am a kidney connoisseur.”

"Again, gross. Absolutely nasty!“

"Says you.“

"I don’t know how Brian can even bring himself to kiss you after you eat a kidney...“

"He doesn’t, usually. He doesn’t want to come into contact with fluids or blood of another person so he makes me brush my teeth before he will kiss me.”

“Smart.” I made a gagging sound and shook my head.

“Thank God I won’t be kissing you on the mouth when we meet Lou’s parents or at the wedding,” Jane said. “I would rather die.”

“Wow. Okay. I see how it is. My own wife won’t even kiss me!” Jane rolled her eyes and I giggled.

“Wait a minute,” I said as a realization came to me. “What about rings? You will need those to make it convincing.”

“No worried kiddo. We got that covered.” This time it was Brian to speak up. He had conveniently come up the stairs just as I asked the question. We all turned to him as he entered the room and I could see two small boxes in his hands. “I just came back from a pawn shop and bought some nice rings. I hope you guys like them.” He handed one box to EJ and the other to Jane.

Jane opened her box first and gasped. I looked at the ring and was stunned. It was so pretty and it looked like it would suit Jane. It had a black diamond on a silver band. Surrounding the circular black jewel was what looked like a lotus flower made out of the same silver as the band and it even had some leaves going down the sides of the ring.  “It’s perfect!” She jumped up from the couch and pounced on Brian. He smiled and lifted her off the ground. “Thank you so much, Brian!”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“I _love_ it!” She pecked him on the cheek then put on the ring. She admired it and changed the position of her hand to get different views. Her aura was radiating pure joy.

“Sorry EJ but yours is just a simple white gold band. I wasn’t sure what to get you.” Brian admitted.

“No worries babe. It’s not like I can even see it so to me, it’s perfect.” He got up, walked over to Brian and handed him the box. He and I were both confused but didn’t get the chance to say anything. “Seeing as you are my boyfriend, it’s only appropriate that you put it on my finger.” He had a smirk on his face when Brian’s face started to flush a nice dark red. After being here for just a few days, I quickly discovered that he loved to tease Brian.

“O-Okay.” Brian stammered. He fiddled with the box in his shaky hands as he tried to open it. I would have thought EJ would have helped him but no, that dick was enjoying this too much and let him do it on his own. Finally, Brian opened the box and took the ring out. EJ held up his left hand and with a shaky hand, Brian slipped on the shiny band on EJ’s thin, dark grey finger.

When it was on EJ placed his hands on Brian’s hips to pull him close and suddenly planted a big kiss on the other’s lips. I saw Brian jump in surprise but that was quickly replaced with love and joy and he returned the kiss. I rolled my eyes and went over to Jane to admire the ring with Jane. “It’s really pretty.”

“Heck yes! I am never taking it off! I will die with this on my finger.” We both giggled.

“So have you thought about what job you could have?”

“There are a few choices but I think I’m going to go with an artist. I always loved to paint and those are always pricy so I think it would be believable that I could bring in a decent income., especially if I’m very good at it.”

“If you could, would you be a painter for a living instead of a killer?”

“Probably. Sometimes I paint when I’m not busy on a mission. It’s soothing.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen your paintings. Can you teach me how to paint?”

“If your parents agree to stay here after the wedding then sure, I’d be happy to.” I giggled when she gently pinched my cheek and she smiled. “Now I think we have most of the important things covered. If they ask about we met then we will probably go with the cliché coffee shop meeting.”

“Hey, that’s no fun.” EJ interrupted. “I want something cooler than that.”

“Well then what do you suggest?”

“You said you like to paint so maybe you were at a park painting the landscape when I happened to walk by. I saw your work so I stopped to chat and asked you to get some coffee. You agreed because I’m so charming and good looking and we just hit it off from there.” Jane rolled her eyes but she did have a smile on her face.

“That’s sweet and a bit more unique than my idea. Sure. That could work.”

“Yes! Finally, I got my way!”

“You idiot. Alright, is there anything else we should cover?”

“We have jobs, how you met, names…” I thought out loud. “Maybe some childhood stories of Papa?”

“Oh no…” I heard Papa say from his spot on the couch. I had almost forgotten he was in the room.

“Oh yes!” Jane said with a devilish smile on her face and rubbed her hands together. “I can feel the ideas pouring into my mind!”

“You have one already, don’t you?”

“Yup. So you were a problem child. That we established. How about you running off while I tried to take you shopping? Maybe at a Wal-Mart and I could have found you ten minutes later hiding behind a rug? That sounds like something a toddler might do.”

“That sounds like something Papa definitely would have done.”

“Not too bad but I’m scared to hear what else you might come up with…” He froze when he saw the grin growing on Jane’s face.

“Perhaps him refusing to wear clothes when going to bed so Henry and I had to chase him around the house so we could get him dressed.”

“NO!” We were all laughing so hard that tears were streaming down our cheeks.

“YES!” EJ exclaimed. “I love it!”

“I don’t!”

“Too bad!” Papa grunted and threw his hands up in frustration. “And maybe Toby could have accompanied me to work when he grew older and threw up in a bedpan that just so happened to be laying around. Hospitals can have some overwhelming smells to people who aren’t used to it.”

“I hate you both…”

“I’m loving these ideas.” Jane pat Papa on the back as she giggled.

“I’m glad you and dad are having fun… I’m going to have a nap…”

“You go do that. Did you change your bandages?”

“Yes _mother_.”

“Just checking.”

“Mmhmm.” Papa went to his room and shut the door behind him. He was acting like a teenager. It was funny. They were all taking their roles seriously which was good. This would make everything more believable.

“Since we lived in Oregon and you guys in Colorado, have you met me before or will this be the first time?” I asked.

“This might be the first time as it would have been hard for Henry and me to go visit due to our jobs but we could have stayed in touch via phone or email.”

“Even video call,” EJ said. “Being a doctor and surgeon and at a nice hospital, I would need to keep up with the latest technology as my hospital would surely update throughout the years. Making records easier to access would make things much smoother.”

“Makes sense but for me, I wouldn’t need to worry about technology so I would leave that all to you.”

“Teamwork.” They laughed and bumped their fists together.

“That’s how healthy relationships work after all.”

“So is that everything?” EJ asked.

“I think so. We still have time before we are going to meet Lou’s parents so no need to worry.” Jane reassured him.

“Yeah. You’ll be coming down closer to the date of the wedding which will be sometime in the summer.”

“Thank God.” EJ sighed with relief. I giggled and decided to go to my room to rest. I was feeling much better and hardly had any pain anymore but still liked to have naps during the day. I limited myself to only one nap after lunch but since I missed it today I would be taking it at three. No big deal. Someone would wake me when I had slept enough so no biggie. The moment I crawled into bed, I fell asleep.

For the next few weeks, Zaza and I made a few visits to their parent’s house to plan the wedding. Papa stayed behind and we told them that they would meet him when his parents came to visit because he was still resting. They believed it because the injury we described was so severe that he would need a while to rest then come to terms with what happened.

The only thing that was really true was that he told Zaza they could be in charge of everything about planning the wedding. Papa thought it was too much of a hassle and knew Zaza would do a good job. He would just need to pick out his suit which we would all do together after his ‘parents’ arrived. That was coming up quickly.

 

_Just a few hours now._

 

Zaza and I were at their parent’s home and luckily for us, Jr seemed to have given up on trying to convince his parents that we were untrustworthy. He must have known that it was useless but he was still cold towards us. He really didn’t like us visiting and that Lou had finally come home. In his mind, they didn’t deserve to be welcomed home but that wasn’t up to him. With the wedding mostly planned and quickly coming up, he was on his best behaviour. Even though he seemed cold he wasn’t about to ruin someone’s special day even if he wasn’t fond of them. That would have made him a total asshole.

I was starting to think that he was starting to like us the more we visited but it was hard to tell. His aura was conflicted and often gave off and cold and angry vibe. He was tricky to read which was no surprise due to his young age. At least he wasn’t giving us any strange looks now. He kept his distance but sometimes offered a small smile when something was directed at him and even a few times engaged in conversation. He was making progress and I could tell that Oma was pleased with this development. 

Zaza, Oma and I were all sitting at the kitchen table as we flipped through a book on flowers that had been given to us by the local florist. By then, the whole town was aware that Zaza had returned and was in good health and respected our wishes by keeping their distance. Hardly anyone came to the house to see us or to tell Oma and Opa how happy they were that Zaza came home. All was quiet but they did know about the upcoming wedding. We were given permission to have it in the park as it was the only place appropriate for an outdoor wedding. With the town being so small they could afford to give up the park for a day. No one really went there anyway.

“Oh, I love these!” Oma said and pointed to a picture of white flowers.

“They look nice and will work with the theme,” Zaza replied. They didn’t sound that interested in this part of the planning as flowers were never their thing. I think they just agreed to everything to please their mom. “I also like these pale pink flowers.”

“Oh yes! Lovely. Maybe we should add these too.” Oma pointed to some pale yellow flowers. “These three will go great together. Oh Lou, I’m so excited and so happy for you.” Oma began to tear up and held Zaza’s hand.

“Mom, stop… Feronia is here…”

“I’m sorry but I can’t help it… My baby is getting married… I never thought this day would come… As much as I hoped that you would come home, part of me was afraid that you had died… I am just so happy to be a part of this big part of your life…”

“Just promise me that if you cry during the ceremony, you’ll be as quiet as possible.”

Oma laughed. “Deal.”

We looked at some more books until the doorbell rang. “I got it,” I call out and went to the door. I opened it and there was Papa, Jane, and EJ. “Papa!” I tackled him in a hug and shrieked when he picked me up and twirled me around.

“Why are you acting so excited to see me baby girl?” He asked when he put me down. “We’ve only been apart for a few hours.”

“I know. I’m just excited for you to meet Zaza’s family!” I turned to Zaza and Oma who had come to the door. Since the day was Saturday and therefore Opa’s day off, he was home too along with Jr. “They’re here!” I called out. They entered the house and I shut the door behind them.

Opa and Jr appeared from their rooms and came up to us. Opa and Oma shook Jane and EJ’s hands as they said hello. When Oma got to Papa she pulled him into a hug. He wasn’t surprised or tense as Zaza had warned him that their mom loved to give hugs before we left the asylum that day. He was prepared. “We finally meet! So you are Tobias, Lou’s fiancé.”

“Yeah. Hi. It’s nice to meet you.” He smiled shyly and gave a little wave.

“We have more than a few questions for you.” Came Opa’s deep voice. Papa tensed up a bit as he looked at him. He was around the same height as Papa at six feet tall but he was still intimidated by him. He looked very serious and held himself with pride and a sense of authority.

“I can image you would want to get to know me,” Papa said nervously.

“Not just that, but why you didn’t bring my daughter home sooner.”

“Honey, please,” Oma whispered to him. “Now is not the time for this.”

“No. I want to know why. Did you know that they ran away? Did you help them?”

“No. I didn’t know _anything_.” Papa said defensively. “I met them when they came to Denver where I used to live. All they said to me was that they were on a road trip and had no place to live. I brought them home where they met my parents and we stayed there until we found out about Lou’s pregnancy…” Now the air became tense. Opa never said anything but Zaza and I knew that he didn’t like the fact that they had gotten pregnant so young. Had they stayed, I had a feeling he would have made them give me up… He seemed like that type of person.

“What did you do?”

“We told them they could stay with us and that we wouldn’t have minded, in fact, I wanted to help but they wanted to make a life of their own. So brave,” Jane or _Grandma Lillian_ said as she held on to Papa’s arm with one hand and rubbed it with the other. “Reluctantly, Henry and I let them go but made sure they had money. Toby at that point had his own car and we gave them the family RV.”

“Well, that was very nice of you.” Oma was surprised and Jane nodded.

“We didn’t need it. At the time, it hadn’t been used in almost a year. We knew they would put it to better use. We would have sold it otherwise but saw no point if they could use it.”

“It was hard but we let them go but were strict and told them to stay in touch. If they needed anything then we would send it there way.” EJ said. “We were very surprised that they settled in Oregon but they sent pictures and showed that they had found a nice little town to call home. It was actually a bit smaller than this town.”

“I can’t believe you let them go, especially with Lou being pregnant.”

“Well, it’s not like we could force them,” Jane said.

“But you could have!” Now Opa was getting angry. “They were only kids! You could have forced them to stay. That would have been best. At that age, they couldn’t make any reasonable decisions! You should have encouraged Lou to return home!”

“They were eighteen. Legally, they were adults with rights to their own lives. Sure, we could have forced them to stay but that would have caused many unnecessary fights. Instead, we let them go but gave them all of the tools they would need to survive and thrive on their own. We would send them money if they needed it and they knew that they were always welcome to come home if things got hard. As parents, you need to accept the fact that your kids won’t always make choices that you approve of so you need to guide them in the safest direction. That’s what we did.” EJ said. He too was around six feet tall but unlike Papa, he was braver and stood his ground. “I get that you are angry and I would be too if I was in your position but that’s the past. We need to move on from it and celebrate the upcoming wedding. That’s why Lillian and I are here after all. This is a happy occasion.”

Opa grunted and gave up. He didn’t want to make a scene so he did his best to control himself and backed down. “Well then,” Oma quickly said to ease the tension in the room. “How about you all make yourselves comfortable while I make some tea.”

“Thank you very much.” Jane smiled and we all sat in the living room that had just enough seats for all eight of us.

“None for me thanks,” EJ said and Oma nodded in understanding. She went to work making the tea while we all talked. Jane and EJ shared embarrassing childhood stories of Papa who sulked in his seat and we, of course, all laughed at him. It was fun for all of us except him.

After some chatting, we all agreed to go shopping for clothes. It was going to take place in a larger town that had a mall. I was excited. We would all go in the family van as Opa owned an eight-passenger vehicle. How convenient for us. It was an older model car so it wasn’t as nice as Zaza and Papa’s pickup but it would have to do.

We all got in with Opa and Oma in the front, Papa, Jane and EJ in the second row and Zaza, Jr and I got stuck at the back. We were all cozy and I was kind of worried that Jr might complain or make a scene but he didn’t. He just put his headphones on with some music and looked out the window for the duration of the almost ninety minute ride while the rest of us talked some more.

More stories were shared but this time it was more from Oma than Jane or EJ. Now it was Zaza’s turn to be embarrassed while Papa laughed. He was enjoying it way too much. When I looked over at Zaza I thought they were going to die from embarrassment. Poor them and unfortunately, it was my turn about halfway through the drive…

To change the subject from their childhood stories, Zaza started bringing up shit I did as a kid. Oh, I hated them for it… Everyone continued to laugh except for me who slouched as far as my seatbelt allowed to try and hide but it was no use. There was no hiding from this… Zaza was so cruel… I could only hope and pray that we would arrive soon…

 

It couldn’t come soon enough…


	32. Chapter 32

The drive felt much longer than it was as Zaza and Papa were _relentless_ when it came to my childhood stories… There were the usual stories you might hear of me using underwear as a hat or running around the house naked but there were some stories that I had rather never seen the light of day…

 

This was _abuse_!

 

When we finally pulled into the parking lot of the mall I celebrated internally. _Finally_! Now we could move on from those stories to looking for some cute outfits!

I was the first one out of the van and waited for the others. When they all got out Opa locked the car we all went into the mall. The Schumacher/Rogers clan filed in and we went to the first clothing store we saw. It was a store that sold suits and tuxedos so the boys were first.

“Do I _have_ to wear a suit?” Jr whined as we entered the store.

Oma rolled her eyes. “Yes because this is a _wedding_ and you need to look _nice_.”

“Mom, I don’t want a fancy wedding. Semi-casual would be just fine.” Oma shot Zaza a look of horror.

“Lou! You can’t do semi-casual for a wedding!”

“Well we don’t really like super fancy and this is a summer wedding,” Papa said with a shrug. “It will be quite hot so going too fancy might not be a good idea. We don’t want to be drenched in sweat before the ceremony even begins.”

“Yes! Exactly! Thank you!” Jr gave Papa a fist bump and looked over at Oma with a smirk.

“We are not going casual or semi-casual for a wedding. You need to look nice.” She and Opa went over to the tuxedos. I got hot just looking at them.

Oma and Zaza had already discussed colours and such so they went to the white or beige coloured suits but Papa, Jr and I went to the more casual suits. These were made out of lighter fabrics that were more breathable. They were more appropriate for a summer wedding.

“I think a light beige suit would work perfectly and for a tie maybe a pale yellow because I assume you don’t want pink,” I said to Jr as we browsed.

“Yea, no. No pink.”

“I thought so.”

“I’m going with a pale blue tie because blue is my colour,” Papa said. He was a few feet away from us looking at the ties. He picked one up that was a pale baby blue with no patterns on it. “How about this?”

“A little boring, don’t you think?” Jr tilted his head to the side slightly as he looked at the tie. “Don’t you want something with a cool pattern on it or something?”

“Not particularly. I guess that makes me kinda boring, huh?”

“A bit.” Jr walked past me and over to Papa. He looked around and after a few seconds he picked out another tie. It was the same shade of blue but it had diagonal lines of royal blue, light blue, and white. “Here. This one.” He gave it to Papa who examined it.

“You really think so?” He asked.

“Yeah. You don’t want to look too boring on your own wedding, right?”

“I guess so. Feronia, what do you think?” He held both of the ties up to his neck. I crossed my arms and studied both of them.

“Hmm. Hold on to them and let's pick out a suit. We’ll see which goes best with the one you pick out.”

“Good idea.” He gave me the two ties and we went back to looking at the suits. Papa found a nice two piece suit that was a very light beige colour. It looked like it would fit perfectly with a beach wedding. The colour reminded me of sand illuminated by the hot summer sun. It was a nice and when Papa came out from the changing room I let out a small gasp. He was so handsome! “How do I look?”

“You look amazing! Very handsome!”

“Awww. Thanks baby.”

“How does it feel? You think you’d survive the summer heat in it?”

“Yeah, I think so. It feels very light. It’s also very comfortable.” He went back into the changing room to change back into his clothes and came out with the suit draped over one arm.

“We found the one for you. Now it’s my turn.” Jr said rather enthusiastically. Papa and I chuckled and helped him look for a suit. We found one that was the same colour as Papa’s but it was just a waistcoat and pants. Jr didn’t want to get any fancier than that which was just fine. “I like this. What do you guys think?”

“It looks good on you,” I said after looking him up and down. He gave a small smile and went to change back into his clothes. “That was easier than I thought,” I said as I turned to Papa.

“Yeah, but for Zaza and you girls I feel like finding clothes will take up the whole day.”

“You aren’t wrong…” He laughed and I rolled my eyes. “That’s because we are very picky about matching clothes, shoes and jewelry. It’s very serious and must not be taken lightly.”

“Whatever you say.” He shrugged.

When Jr came out of the changing room he and Papa picked out their ties. Papa decided to take the striped tie while Jr thought the plain one Papa had originally picked out was good enough for him. With the outfits picked, we went to meet up with the others. Opa still hadn’t found the right suit and when he saw the ones Jr and Papa were holding his aura went cold.

 

_Great_ …

 

“What do you have there?”

“Toby and I found the suits we are gonna wear for the wedding,” Jr said.

“You can’t seriously be thinking of wearing those.” Opa scoffed. “Those are way too casual.”

“Let me see.” Oma lifted the suit on Jr’s arm and gasped. “Your father is right. These aren’t wedding appropriate!”

“Oma, this isn’t a super fancy wedding so I don’t see why you are getting so upset. I think they are perfect.” She looked at me with wide eyes. She couldn’t believe what I had just said. She was acting like I had just oftended her ancestors or something.

“No. They are not wearing those. Come look at the tuxedoes. I’m sure you two will find something you like.” She motioned for them to join Opa but Zaza stopped them.

“Mom, this needs to stop. You and dad can dress up like you are going to meet the queen but don’t force them to do the same. I already told you that I don’t want a big fancy wedding. I think those suits are perfect and if they like them then what’s the problem? They should have fun picking out their outfit and pick something that is comfortable as they will be wearing it all day. Stop trying to control everything. It isn’t your wedding. You and dad had your big day but now it’s my turn.”

Oma was fuming but she kept her composure on the outside. Her aura was a deep red colour. It was actually kinda unnerving… “Lou, this might be your big day but it is still a wedding. It needs to look nice and that means our family must dress nice.”

“Grandma, Gramps, a little help?” I said turning to EJ and Jane who were keeping their distance.

“Feronia is right Ciara. I just want my son to be happy on his big day so if he wants something a little more on the casual side then so be it.”

“Lillian, you can’t be serious!” Oma turned to face Jane. Thank God she was able to stand in as Toby’s mom. She wasn’t fazed by anything.

“Henry and I had a simple wedding in my home town which was a small place, no bigger than Kingston. Sure, I had a big dress and he was dressed in a nice suit but that was back then and that was our wedding. We as parents shouldn’t control our children. Toby and Lou are adults in their early thirties. They can do whatever they want on their wedding. Their happiness is all that matters and I for one am all for a semi-casual wedding and as Lou said, you and Felix and more than welcome to dress up.”

“Lillian is right,” EJ spoke up. “Where did you two find those suits? I think I’ll take a look and see if I see something I like.”

“Right over there.” Papa pointed to the general area where we had just been.

EJ nodded and as he passed Papa, gave him a pat on the shoulder. “I’ll be right back.” I looked back at Opa and Oma who were both shocked.

“Really you two, this is 2018. Times have changed.” Jane shook her head and sighed. “Let them have the wedding they want. I have seen how they interact and I can tell that they are soul mates so I am confident in saying that this will be the only time that they will ever get married. It is supposed to be the happiest day of their lives and it should be just right, for them.”

“Fine. _Fine_.” Oma said flatly. She turned around to look at the suits to make herself busy so she wouldn’t have to talk about this anymore. Opa didn’t say anything for a long time but eventually went over to the section where Papa and Jr had found their suits. “Where are you going?”

“I don’t want to look out of place by wearing a fancy tux.” He replied. “The attention should be on the bride and groom. Not me.” I smiled as he passed which he saw and smiled too.

“Mom, if you want to wear something fancy because you don’t feel right going casual then that’s fine. We won’t force you to wear something you don’t like but please don’t try to force my daughter to go super fancy. Just accept the fact that times have changed and that this is how Toby and I want our wedding to go.”

“I can’t believe this!” Oma snapped. Zaza sighed. “Weddings are not some casual event! They are a _big_ deal! You are marrying someone who you will spend the rest of your life with! This isn’t some birthday party or something!”

“Yes it is a big deal but that doesn’t mean we have to dress like royals. We want to have fun which would be hard in hot clothes. Keep in mind we will be outside under the summer sun. Fancy clothes don’t usually allow breathing so the sweat will just collect. Who wants to be all hot and sweaty at a wedding?” Oma didn’t reply. She knew she had lost and couldn’t think of a better argument so she just shut up, thank God. I was at the end of my rope and would have snapped if she kept arguing.

Soon Opa came back with a suit and a nice tie that went with the pale baby blue colour but this one had a different pattern. EJ was the only one left so he went back with Opa to pick his suit. Again, same colours for the suit and tie. With all the suits picked out, we went to pay then left the store. It was time for Zaza and us girls to pick our outfits.

“So will we get your outfit first Zaza?” I asked as I skipped alongside Zaza. They giggled but shook their head.

“No. I want that to be last as I feel like it will take more time for me to choose. You girls are first.”

“Awesome. I already know what I’m looking for and I hope I can find it.”

“I don’t see why you won’t. There are a billion clothing stores in this place.” Papa looked around and just on the floor we were on were about six visible stores for just women’s clothes. “Should we start here?” He nodded to a store that looked like it sold simple summer clothes.

“No.” Oma quickly shut him down. “Those are too casual. Let’s look somewhere else.”

“Mom,” Zaza said in a warning tone that normally they used with me when I started shit. Oh geez… Here we go…

“No, Lou. I already gave in for the suits but I won’t have my granddaughter wear a summer dress to your wedding. That is way too casual and cheap.”

“Nothing wrong with saving money…” I said quietly but nothing escaped Oma’s ears.

“No. You aren’t going there. Come along. I know the perfect store and it’s on the third floor.”

“Ciara, I am also her grandmother and I just want her to wear what she wants so long as it looks nice. If you won’t buy her something from that store then I will.” This made Oma stop in her tracks. She looked at Jane with anger in her eyes even though her face remained neutral. “Feronia, do you still want to check out that store?”

“Yeah. Sorry Oma but I really do. If I get something too fancy then I probably won’t have another chance to wear it before I grow out of it. I want to get something I can wear not only at the wedding but throughout the summer too. I’m sure the store has some nice dresses.”

“Let’s go take a look,” Opa said before Oma could say anything negative. “She might find something but she might not. If she doesn’t then we’ll go to the store you have in mind.”

“Fine.” Oma crossed her arms and we all went into the store. Zaza, Jane and I went to the left where they were displaying summer dresses for teens. It was so much fun to just browse and there were so many clothes I wanted but that would have to wait for another day. I had to focus on something wedding appropriate.

“So what did you have in mind?” Zaza asked as I looked.

“Not too sure but since it’s summer I want a dress with flowers on it.”

“Well that won’t be hard to find.” Jane giggled and motioned to the rows and rows of dresses with flowers printed on the fabric. Zaza and I giggled. I told Jane my size and the three of us split up to look for something.

I looked at every single dress on a single rack but didn’t find what I was looking for. On to the next and the next. When I moved to another I heard Jane call out to me from across the section. “Is this what you’re looking for?” I looked over the rack and saw her holding up a white dress with pale pink flowers on it. I already liked the pattern. I put back the dress in my hand and went over to her to get a better look. She held the dress up to me and examined it. “This would look super cute on you! What do you think?”

“It really does look nice. Zaza?” I took the dress from Jane and continued to hold it up against me. It turned to Zaza so they could get a better look.

“It is very cute and it’s so your style. I’m not too sure about the top part…”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“It looks like it would be a bit revealing. Go try it on and we’ll see.”

“Okay.” I went to the changing room and changed into the dress. When I came out Zaza approached me and fiddled with the top. It was a bit low and it fell off my shoulders but it didn’t show any part of my breasts. Not that I had much to show anyway…

“I don’t know… Toby, what do you think?”

“It is a bit low but I don’t think it’s that inappropriate for her age. Maybe she can get a shawl to go with it?”

“I can do that. I really do like it.” I said almost pleading.

Zaza sighed. “Alright, alright. I think the shawls are in the adult women’s section.”

“Thanks Zaza!” I changed back into my clothes then handed the dress to Zaza before going off to find a shawl. They went to the cash to wait for me and when I returned they let Opa pay for both items.

After that was done we went to another store for Jane and Oma. Oma wanted something more expensive and higher quality. Jane thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea and since she was playing the part of my grandma she said she would have more opportunity to wear a fancy dress. “I needed a new one anyway.” She said on our way to the store. I wasn’t sure when she could wear a nice dress as she was really a killer but she was still a person, sorta...

It didn’t take long for her or Oma to find dresses they liked. Oma went with a light yellow dress that matched the flowers she had picked out while Jane went with a pale pink dress. Since Zaza, Papa and I could still see her and EJ’s true appearances, that colour was a bit curious on her but to the others, she looked cute.

Now all that was left was to pick out what Zaza was going to wear. I squealed as we left the shop where we got Oma and Jane’s clothes. “It’s time Zaza!”

“I think you are more excited than me.” They joked.

“I’m excited to see what you’re going to wear!”

“I know the perfect store. They have beautiful wedding dresses.” Of course, Oma knew the perfect store but Zaza was having none of that. However, before we went to the store, we had to separate ourselves from the boys.

“Right. Well before we get going we should decide on a place to meet up. We can’t have the men tag along, especially Toby.” They laughed when Papa made a whining sound and crossed his arms. “Sorry babe but you can’t see me before the wedding. It’s bad luck!”

“But I wanna be a part of the process…”

“Come now, let’s go get something to drink while we wait for the ladies,” EJ said and hooked his arm with Papa’s.

“Make sure he doesn’t have any coffee,” Zaza warned. “You know how he is when he had caffeine.”

“Not to worry, I know to keep coffee out of his hands. I am his father after all.” We all laughed except for Papa who was still pouting. “We will be at Starbucks.”

“Alright. See you later.” Jane went over to EJ and kissed him on the cheek to make them seem like a normal, loving couple.

“See you later sweetheart.” EJ smiled and began to drag Papa away.

“Feronia, let me know what they pick!” He called out.

“Not a chance!” I laughed.

“Cruel!”

“Come on now. Let’s get moving.” EJ tugged on his arm to get him to keep moving. I saw Papa sigh and finally gave up and left with Opa and Jr following close behind.

When they were out of earshot, Zaza turned to Oma. “Mom, don’t freak out but I am not wearing a wedding dress.”

I swear Oma’s soul left her body and she went as pale as a ghost. “What are you talking about?! You aren’t going to wear a dress to your own wedding?!”

“No. I told you weeks ago that I am non-binary so I don’t want to wear a suit or dress. I want to do more of a mix of male and female clothing just like I normally do. I know it’s not traditional so not what you’re used to but this is my wedding so I get to decide what I wear.”

“And if you don’t want to spend your money on that then that’s fine,” Jane spoke up. “I’ll pay for everything.”

“I can’t believe this…”

“Oma, times have changed. Weddings have changed. They used to form alliances between nations but now people marry for love. Things evolve over time and now that Zaza can live however they want they should be able to wear whatever outfit they want to their wedding. Whatever makes them happy.” I explained. This did not please Oma at all.

“I’m with her,” Jane said and gave me a friendly nudge with her elbow. “Come on girls and Lou. Let’s go find your outfit!” I giggled and followed Jane as she began walking towards a nice looking store. It didn’t sell very fancy clothes but they were by no means casual. Zaza and I followed, leaving Oma behind and when she realized that this was a losing battle she caught up with us.

I could feel the negativity oozing from her aura and I knew that Zaza could sense it too but they chose to ignore it. They were good at that sort of thing. They certainly had loads of practice ignoring me as a kid since I was such a pain in the ass and loved to bother them and Papa almost 24/7. They learned how to block negativity out and to focus on the positive but I was still bothered with Oma’s negative as shit aura. I wondered how she would have reacted if I told her I could sense her negativity but I didn’t feel like fighting so I did my best to ignore her.

The whole time we were browsing for clothes she remained quiet and at the back of our little pack which was fine with us. We focused on Zaza and what would look nice on them. Of course, everything we picked was all white except for the jewelry which was gold. Zaza wasn’t too keen on the idea of wearing jewelry but their mom and Jane managed to convince them it would look better. They agreed to wear a diamond necklace with a thin gold chain. The diamond was a small teardrop shape. It was very simple but it was the one necklace everyone agreed on. Oma wanted Zaza to have nice earrings and a bracelet but she lost that battle. Zaza was not having any of it which greatly upset Oma.

I found it interesting how she seemed so sweet before but now that things weren’t going her way she got all pissed off. I so wanted to stick out my tongue at her every time she lost a battle but I refrained from doing so. Zaza wouldn’t have liked that and it could have possibly started a fight but it was so tempting!

With all our clothes picked out, we went to grab some lunch at the food court before heading home. I was grateful for this opportunity to get out with Zaza’s family, even if Oma was being less than pleasant. I didn’t know if I would ever get the chance to do this again or to even see them after the wedding.

I cherished the time we had and it was nice to see Jr opening up with us. At the start of the trip, he was cold and kept his distance but by the time we got to the food court he was talking and laughing with Papa and me. We had so much fun that day and I loved every minute of it.

 


	33. Chapter 33

After many long weeks, it was finally time! The wedding day had arrived! Everything was set up in the park and the guests were on their way. I was a bit nervous as Zaza’s aunts, uncles and cousins would be there. I hadn’t even thought about asking about the rest of their family until a few days before. They told me not to worry and that they were all very nice and easy to talk to. I didn’t doubt them but I was still nervous. There were only six people on their dad’s side but on their mom’s side, there were over thirty...

 

_Thirty!_

 

Zaza didn’t want the whole Coveney clan (their mom’s family) to come but of course, Oma invited them all. Their mom had a big family, five sisters and four brothers which produced a lot of children... Most of them were older than me so I wasn’t sure if we could connect with many things to hold a decent conversation. I probably was going to stay by Jane or EJ for most of the after party. I was overwhelmed just thinking about all of the people who were going to be there...

I had to calm down. This was my parent’s big day. If anyone was supposed to be nervous then it should be them. I had to remain cool. I had to be composed in case Papa started to freak out so I could help calm him. I was his ‘best man’ after all.

The day of the wedding I woke up at the crack of dawn to rehearse my speech. Now that the RV had been brought to the asylum, Papa and Zaza were sleeping there while I stayed inside in the master room. It was safer for me as they were able to protect themselves in case anyone wondered over even if the risk was incredibly small thanks to the Boss’s protection.

I took a deep breath and stood before the mirror with my speech in hand. I had spent days working on it and no matter how many times I had edited it, I still didn’t think it was good enough. This was incredibly stressful... I wanted this to be perfect.

I looked down at my hands and they were shaking. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I could do this. If Oma hadn’t invited her _entire_ side of the family then maybe I wouldn’t have been so nervous... I don’t know why she was even allowed to do that. Zaza said they wanted a small wedding and this was not small. Not by a long shot... I wasn’t there when they discussed guests so maybe they came up with a compromise or they just gave in to make Oma happy. It’d put my money on the latter...

I looked up at the mirror in front of me as I held the paper that contained my speech. It wasn’t very long so it wasn’t that hard to memorize but the thought of saying it in front of over thirty people, I forgot all of the words. I never had to speak in front of an audience before. This was my first time and it didn’t help that I didn’t know most of the guests. Sure, I would get to meet them beforehand but that wouldn’t help my anxiety in the slightest. If anything, it was making me even more nervous.

“Calm down Feronia...” I told myself. “You got this. You can do this!” I cleared my mind and took another deep breath. This time, when I looked into the mirror I felt confident and said my speech from start to finish without any errors. I was very proud of myself. I did! Now that I had successfully said my speech without error I was feeling rather excited. I rehearsed it a few more times and each time after that, it came out perfectly.

I repeated my almost five-minute speech six times which took a good thirty minutes. Thank God I got up early so I still had plenty of time to get ready before we had to leave. I could have practiced for another four times but there was a knock on my door just as I finished my sixth time going over my speech.

“Yeah?” The door opened up and I saw Jane.

“Hey girlie.” She said cheerfully and entered my room. That had been the nickname she had given me shortly after I started calling her grandma. “Practicing your speech?”

“Yeah. I wanted to be sure I didn’t mess it up.”

“Oh no need to worry. You won’t mess up.” She came up behind me and put her hands on my shoulder. We both looked at my reflection and smiled. “So seeing as you are up you are coming with me to help get Lou ready.”

“What about Papa? I am his best man.”

“I know but the boys are going to take care of him. Sally, you and I will look after Lou who needs their nails done soon so there will be enough time for them to dry.”

“Right. On it.” She giggled and left the room so I could freshen up. There was no point in getting dressed as we wouldn’t be leaving for hours. I combed my hair, washed my face then grabbed my nail polish bag and went to the living room.

Zaza was already awake and waiting with Sally. Poor Sally looked exhausted. She kept yawning and trying to keep her big green eyes open. When I found out that she was dead and technically a ghost, I was surprised to learn that she needed to sleep. It was totally different than any ghost story I had ever heard but I had to remember that those were just stories. _Fiction_. This was real. Sally was real and therefore nothing like the stories.

“Morning,” I said as I approached them. Sally looked up at me with very tired eyes while Zaza, on the other hand, was wide awake.

“Hey baby, I’m almost surprised to see you up at this hour.” They giggled while I gave them a look.

“Well I’m not about to sleep in on your big day! I am just as excited as you and Papa if not more.”

“Aww, that’s so cute!” Jane exclaimed and gave me a very unexpected hug. “You are so adorable!”

“Isn’t she?” Zaza chuckled.

“Lemme go!” I said as I felt the air escape my lungs and my ribs beginning to crack.

“Sorry babe.” Jane kissed my left temple then released me. Finally, I could breathe! “Now, time to get started on our nails!”

“I have all my nail supplies right here!” I held up the bag and noticed Sally had completely woken up. She had perked up when she saw my little pink bag. “You want to paint your nails too Sally?”

“Yeah!” I offered her the bag and she was quick to jump off the couch and take it from me. We all giggled as she sat down on the ground and looked through all the little bottles, looking to see which one she wanted. I sat beside her and watched the glass bottles clink together as they were pushed around. Finally, she pulled out a bottle and held it up to show us. “I want this one!” 

“That colour would look so cute on you,” Zaza said with a smile. The colour Sally had picked was a glittery pink that matched the shade of her dress.

“You will have sparkling fingers!” Jane said and Sally giggled. “I’ll do your nails while Feronia does Lou’s.”

“Pick your colour Zaza.” I took the bag from Sally and passed it to Zaza who looked through it. They pulled out two bottles and held them up as they tried to decide which would look best on them.

“I’m not sure which one to pick...” I looked at the two bottles they were holding up. One was a metallic white and the other was gold. Jane and Sally looked up and studied the two bottles in their hand.

“The white is nice but your entire outfit is white,” Jane said after some thought.

“Too much?”

“Too much.”

“So I should go with the gold?”

“Why not? It’s up to you.” Jane shrugged.

“Why not, indeed. Only I will care about the colour of my nails.”

“Exactly! Do what makes you happy.” I said and kissed Zaza’s cheek. They giggled and handed me the two bottles. I put the rejected one back in my bag and opened the other. I made sure to wipe off the excess paint on the inner side of the bottle then began to apply the remainder to Zaza’s nails. I added a thin coat to each nail and by the time I finished the last finger, the first one I painted was ready for a second coat. I applied the same thin coat to each nail and repeated this three times. It looked good enough for me. “What do you think?”

“It’s perfect. Thank you baby.” Zaza leaned down and gave me a big kiss right on my nose. I giggled. “Now pick out your colour and I’ll do your nails for you.”

“Oh no need, I got it,” Jane spoke up. I looked over at her and Sally and noticed that all of Sally’s nails were already done. Zaza nodded and I searched for a colour that would match my dress. I found a nice light pink and handed the bottle to Jane. She took it from me and began to apply the paint to my nails with thin coats like I had done with Zaza.

When our nails had dried we then got dressed. I thought we were going to do makeup next but Zaza had something else in mind. Something that actually came as a shock to me. “Hey Jane, can you cut my hair?” They had scissors suddenly in their hand and held them up to Jane who took them and nodded.

“Sure thing. How short and what kind of style?”

“Surprise me. I want short hair again but other than that, you pick the style.”

“Alright.” Jane got to work on Zaza’s hair. After every snip, a strand of long brown hair fell to the ground. I watched as Zaza’s hair got shorter and shorter until it reached their shoulders. Jane then cut the bangs a bit shorter then picked up a curling iron from the table. She plugged it in and let it heat up. “While we wait for that to get hot I’ll do your makeup. When I finish with Feronia and myself then we can head to town. Sound good?”

“Yep.” Zaza smiled. Jane giggled and got to work on their makeup. Zaza told her that they wanted something simple. Nothing too fancy as it wasn’t their style. It was something Oma wouldn’t have liked but she wasn’t there so there was nothing she could do about it.

Zaza went with a bit of foundation, light blush, eyeliner and mascara, and pink lipstick. It was simple, probably a bit too simple for a wedding but this wasn’t a fancy wedding so it didn’t look that out of place. When Jane was done with Zaza, it was my turn to have my hair and makeup done. I had the feeling that Jane was having so much fun dolling us up. She probably didn’t get the chance to do this very often so she was enjoying every minute of it.

With the hair curling iron all heated up, she curled our hair and styled it. To keep it in place, she sprayed us down with hairspray. This was the first time in my life that I had gotten this dressed up. It was strange but I liked it. Normally I would have liked to dress up in my jeans and t-shirt but doing this once in a while wouldn’t be so bad.

When we were all ready we went downstairs and got in the truck. There was no way we were going to walk all the way there. “How is Papa going to get there? Or is he already there?”

“I’m dropping you two off then coming back to get EJ and Toby,” Jane explained as we got buckled up. “So you two will wait at Lou’s parent’s home until it’s time. From there, their parents will take you to the park where you, Feronia, will meet up with the guys while I take Lou to the tent. Sound good?”

“Yep!”

“Grea! Off we go.” She started the car and off we went. She drove us to the house where we went in and showed off our new looks to Oma and Opa.

“How do we look?” I asked as I twirled around. I love dresses because twirling in them is so much fun.

“You both look wonderful!” Oma said and gave us both a big hug. On the outside, she had a big smile but on the inside, I could tell that she was thoroughly disappointed in us. Zaza didn’t have the big wedding that Oma dreamed of. If I were ever to get engaged then I was going to elope with my fiancée. I am sure it would put Oma in cardiac arrest but oh well. “Oh Lou, I am so thrilled! Are you nervous?”

“Not as much as I thought I’d be,” Zaza admitted. “I’m more excited than nervous. Finally, after all these years I am getting married to the love of my life!”

“Aww, that’s so sweet!” Oma giggled and kissed Zaza’s forehead. “You really are reminding me of myself on my wedding day. I was so excited to marry your father that I didn’t even have time to be nervous.”

“I love your new hairstyle,” Opa commented and Zaza smiled.

“Thanks. Lillian did it. She cut my hair and styled it.”

“She did this all by herself?” Oma asked in surprise and Zaza nodded. “Is she a hairstylist?”

“Nope. She is just very skilled.”

“Very skilled indeed. Your hair looks like it was done by a professional.”

“Mothers know best, right?” I said and everyone laughed.

“That’s very true.” Oma agreed.

We stayed there for maybe half an hour before it was time to get going. We decided that since the park was only a five-minute walk or so from the house, we went on foot instead of by car. I went ahead as I was to go meet up with Papa while Zaza stayed with their parents.

When I got to the park I just had to stand there and admire the whole set up. There was a little white tent near the entrance of the park, right by the sign and from that was a long white rug that went right to the arch where Zaza and Papa would be. The arch itself was very basic with two wooden posts painted white and a beam on top attaching them together. Draped over that was a long white cloth with some of the flowers Zaza and Oma had picked out weeks earlier. Oma wanted it to be fancier but Zaza argued like a vicious lawyer to keep things as simplistic as possible.

I scanned the area and already saw people starting to gather. I gulped. These people were my family. They were Zaza’s aunts, uncles, and cousins. People I didn’t know about until recently... _Strangers_... After looking around I saw Papa, EJ, and Jr standing under an open tent where we were all going to eat and where my parents were going to cut the cake. I took a deep breath and walked as fast as I could without bringing attention to myself and went in the tent.

“There’s my best man!” Papa said as I walked over to him. I smiled when he pulled me into a hug and kissed the top of my head.

“Hey Papa.”

“How is Zaza doing? I bet, no, I _know_ they look amazing. Do you perhaps have any pictures..?”

“Papa!” I smacked his arm and he pretended to be hurt while we all laughed. “You know that even if I did, I wouldn’t show you. That would ruin the surprise!”

“But I really want to see them!” Papa whined and I rolled my eyes.

“You’ll see them soon enough,” EJ said. While he acted somewhat annoyed I could tell that he was holding back a laugh. He found Papa’s behaviour ridiculous but entertaining.

“I just can’t wait!”

“Drama King,” Jr said. “You just have to wait. It won’t be long now.”

Papa made some kind of sound that could only be described as annoyed and huffed. “Fine but I don’t like it...”

“ _Boohoo_. Cry me a river.”

“Alright, that’s enough children.” EJ said and stepped in between them just as Papa stuck his tongue out at Jr. “Now, it won’t be long before we are ready to start. We are just waiting for a few more guests so we should all prepare ourselves. Feronia, how is your speech?”

“I’m ready and I can’t wait to say it after the ceremony!” He smiled and kissed my cheek.

“I know you’ve been practicing nonstop for the last week. I know it will be good.”

“My daughter is a reader so you know that her speech will be good. She picked up lots of things with all those books.” Papa winked at me and I giggled.

“I can’t wait to hear it.”

We talked for a few minutes before Jane came in and told us that everything was all ready to go. When all of the guests had arrived, everyone got seated and Papa walked down the aisle to stand before the Justice of the Peace. Oma, being the religious woman she was begged Zaza and Papa to be married by a priest, the one from their church but they both refused. We had never been religious and Jane told me that even before Zaza ran away, they didn’t believe in religion. That didn’t really surprise me but it made Oma very bitter. She had been controlling over the entire wedding planning but this... this really set her off... I had never seen her so angry when Zaza and Papa said they didn’t want a priest to marry them...

Zaza just shrugged off Oma’s entire meltdown and told her that that is what they and Papa wanted. Oma did try to fight it and for hours wouldn’t give up. Yes, that’s right, hours! I eventually lost it and screamed at her to stop and that she had no right to control everything. She had gotten away with it for too long but this was not her decision to make.

Well, she got super pissed off that I had raised my voice at her and wanted to punish me but Zaza and Papa said she had no right to do so and that I was right. Boy was that an interesting day. When Opa came home from work, Oma wanted him to side with her but he didn’t and said that they can’t force their religion on Zaza and that was that. Oma was fuming for the rest of that day but it didn’t matter to us. Zaza and Papa had gotten their way but when we got home I did throw up from stress. I love Oma as she is my grandmother but this whole wedding planning really made me despise her... I would eventually get over it but during the whole process, she really got on my nerves.

I looked over at Papa who was standing right beside me and I could see the biggest smile on his face. He sensed me looking at him and gave me a thumbs up. We giggled and waited for Zaza to walk down the aisle with Opa.

The music started and everyone went quiet. The first to come down were four little girls all around the age of five. They were the daughters of Zaza’s cousins and they were the flower girls. They looked so cute in their pastel yellow dresses! They looked like little fairies! Those girls had the biggest smiles on their faces as they walked down throwing flower petals on the ground.

At that age, I sort of expected them to either dump the baskets in one spot or to get confused and end up running to their parents but these girls didn’t. They knew what to do and looked like they were taking their job very seriously. They were the most well-behaved kids I had ever seen but I knew as the day went on, when they grew tired that was going to change really quickly.

When they had emptied their baskets, the girls went to sit with their parents while all eyes went to Zaza and Opa. Most if not all of the women gasped when they saw them. I smiled and glanced over at Papa to see his reaction. He could barely contain himself he was so happy. I even saw tears stream down his cheeks which he wiped away with his handkerchief.

I looked over at Zaza who was just as happy. They weren’t crying as they weren’t as emotional as Papa but their aura was the same as his. They just didn’t show their emotions as much as Papa did. I loved looking at the two of them. You could tell that they love each other. Both had a sparkle in their eyes and their aurae flared with love when they just thought about the other. It was truly magical.

When Zaza passed me they gave me a little wave and I waved back. They were so beautiful. Some might have said they would have been even more beautiful in a wedding dress but I disagree. Instead of a dress, they wore flat shoes made mostly of lace as heels were not their friend, leggings, a knee-high skirt that was a bit longer at the back and a very nice dress shirt made for women. It actually had two lace strips sewn on either side from the bottom to the shoulders and frills all around the sleeves and top. It was definitely not traditional but neither were my parents. It fit nicely for them and Zaza looked _amazing_.

So amazingly beautiful that words cannot describe it. To me, they looked like an angel. They just had a glow to them that made them shine.

I watched as Opa brought them over to Papa and as tradition, handed them over to Papa but first, gave a little speech. “Tobias Erin Rogers, you are a wonderful young man. I have seen how you interact with Lou and I can see just how much you love them. They are very lucky to have met you, have a child with you and now, to marry you. Lou couldn’t have found a better partner if they searched the whole universe. I am proud to marry them off to you and I know that you will take good care of not only Lou, but my granddaughter too.” Opa looked at me and I blushed as everyone else did the same. So many people were looking at me... I gave a shy smile and he looked back at Papa. “Tobias, welcome to the family.”

“Thank you Felix,” Papa said the best he could while holding back tears. Everyone clapped as they hugged and when Opa pulled away, he hugged Zaza and gave them and kiss on the cheek. I could tell that he too was holding back tears and when he went to sit down, I noticed him wipe his face with a handkerchief. I wanted to cry right then and there but my shy personality helped keep in all my emotions. There was no way I was going to break down and draw attention from this huge crowd to myself. Just being up here was enough to make my hands shake.

I took a deep breath and looked back at my parents who were facing the Justice of the Peace. I noticed Zaza playing with the bouquet in their hands. They were anxious to say ‘I do’. They could hardly wait for that moment and neither could I.

“Today is a beautiful day and as the sun shines upon us, we celebrate a very special day to these two young people standing before me. Today we will celebrate the union of Lou Schumacher and Tobias Rogers.” I loved how the Justice of the Peace started his speech. It was sweet. “These two souls found each other upon a chance encounter nearly sixteen years ago and have been inseparable ever since. Their bond grew every day and every day they learned something new about the other. Even now, they are learning more and more about the other and their love grows stronger every day. These two souls wandered the world in search of the other and now they have found each other. They have found their other half and now are ready to unite as one and have welcomed all of you to join in on this magical day.”

I couldn’t help it. There was no way I could stop the tears even if I wanted to. Quietly, I cried and tried to make myself as small as possible as to not attract attention. I dried my tears with Papa’s handkerchief that he had slipped me when he heard my sniffles. With my vision now blurred with tears, I did my best to watch as Zaza and Papa looked into each other’s eyes. They held each other’s hands and said the vows that they had written. Papa went first.

“Lou, the day that I met you was one of the best days of my whole life. The only other ones that can compete are today and the day of Feronia’s birth.” Oh geez, Papa was trying to make me cry, I could feel it. “I have been waiting for this day for a long time now and now that it has become a reality, I am overwhelmed with joy. You are the most beautiful person in the universe and I often have to pinch myself as this all seems like a dream. You are perfect in every way and have made me a better person. You have accepted me for who I am and have looked past all my flaws. I truly feel blessed to have you and Feronia in my life and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I want to look after you until we are old and grey and can barely remember each other’s names. I promise to always be there for you, even if we fight, I will remain committed to you and only you. I will look after you if you are sick and will nurse you back to health. You are my soul mate, my whole world and without you, I am nothing. You complete me and I will love you until the day I die and that’s a promise.” I could hear little gasps among the audience as that was so moving and breathtaking. It was easy to see just how much Papa loved Zaza and when looking at him, you could tell that he meant every single word.

“Tobias, you are the most _amazing_ man. I am so glad to have been in Denver that day all those years ago. I was in the right place at the right time. I never would have guessed that we would have fallen this hard for each other when we first met but I’m glad things worked out the way they did. I don’t know what I would have done without you. You have taken such good care of me all these years and when Feronia came along, I knew that you were the one for me. Even today, when I see you two together I know that no one would have been as good of a father to her as you. You make life worth living and fill it with such joy. I love how you make sure that neither of us are ever sad and when we are, you do everything in your power to bring a smile to our faces. It is one of the many things I love about you, being able to smile and make others smile even in the darkest of times.” I flinched at that. I could sense Papa’s aura grow slightly cold too. The three of us knew just what Zaza meant when they said that but our pain was quickly replaced with joy once again as they continued. “You have brought me to tears with all of your funny antics on so many occasions, too many to count. I love the feeling of laughing so hard that I can’t breathe but I also love the quiet times when we just cuddle up together and enjoy just being together. I never want that to stop. I want nothing more than to be in your arms forever as you make me feel safe and loved. When you get sick, I will be by your side until you are well and during the hard times, I will never walk away from you. I know that together, we can get through anything. You are my whole world and when we are together, I can feel our souls connect into one because you are my soul mate. I promise to be by your side forever and for always.”

If people weren’t crying before, they were now. I could sense the aura of the JP and even he too was moved by their vows but he had to keep it together. Poor him. I didn’t know how, but he managed to remain calm while everyone else silently cried. I could sniffles throughout the crowd.

“Now for the rings.” The JP said and gestured for the ring bearer to came forth. Everyone turned around and watched as he came down the aisle. The ring bearer was none other than Smile himself. None of Zaza’s cousins had had sons so at first there was a debate of who was going to carry the rings until Zaza came up with the idea of Smile. Oma and Opa were surprised and asked who owned this dog. They lied and said that he belonged to EJ and Jane but said he was the most well-behaved dog ever which was true.

I smiled as I saw him trotting down the aisle with a basket in his mouth. Some of the younger people in the audience giggled or squealed when they saw him. He held his head up high and his tail was perked up and wagged back and forth as he approached my parents. He was really proud to be the one to carry the rings. He was a smart dog and knew this was an honour.

When he got to the front he sat down and held up his head so my parents could pick up the rings from the basket. Zaza was the first to go. “This ring symbolizes my love and commitment to you. As I place this on your finger, I promise to always be by your side and to commit myself to you for the rest of my life.” I watched as Zaza slipped the ring on Papa’s left ring finger and they were both in tears.

Papa cleared his throat and straightened himself when it was his turn. He held Zaza’s small delicate hand in his which were larger and rougher as he had done most of the killings over the years. “This ring that I place on your finger is a promise of my love and to always be by your side. It is my promise that I will always look after you and that I will love you forever.” He slipped it on Zaza’s finger and everyone held their breath as they waited for the JP to say those famous words.

“Is there anyone here that objects to the union between these two?” He paused and when no one said anything, he smiled and continued. “Then, with the power vested in me by the state of Pennsylvania, I now unite you two as one. You may now kiss.”

Papa didn’t hesitate. The JP barely had any time to finish before he pulled Zaza in and kissed them. When he did, everyone stood up and cheered. There were cheers and whistles and even some barks from Smile. When they pulled away, Papa didn’t think that that one kiss was enough as he lifted up Zaza and kissed them again. There were even louder cheers and Smile jumped on his hind legs and barked even louder then let out a loud and long howl. Being a husky, he was able to bellow out a very impressive howl that was heard clearly over the cheering.

I was now crying my eyes out. I held on to the handkerchief but with all of the emotion in the air, I totally forgot about it. I was lucky that my mascara was waterproof otherwise I would have looked like a total mess.

While we all cried out our emotions, Zaza and Papa went over to a nearby table and signed the paperwork to make it official. Smile followed them and when they were done signing, they kneeled down and kissed the top of his head. Papa didn’t but gave him a high five. Everyone in the crowd ‘awwed’ and there was another round of applause. They went back under the arch and posed for some pictures before walking down the aisle together, hand in hand. Again, more cheering and some people threw more flower petals as they walked by.

From there, everyone went to the tent where Zaza and Papa cut the first slice of the incredible cake. It was huge with multiple layers and had sugar flowers all over. I wanted them. They looked so good! Since Papa was such a goofball, when the first slice was cut, he grabbed it and shoved it in Zaza’s face. There was a loud gasp from Oma as that was something she would not have wanted but everyone else just laughed. So did Zaza and they grabbed a chunk that had fallen from their face and smacked it on Papa’s face. They both laughed and Papa licked as much icing as he could from his face while Zaza cleaned themselves off with a wet wipe that Jane offered. Papa must have told her of his plan so she came ready.

With that silliness out of the way, they cut more slices of the cake and passed them around to the guests. They got one big piece for them to share and gave me the second slice. Zaza even took two of the sugar flowers from the cake and put them on my plate. “Enjoy baby girl.”

“Zaza, how did you know I wanted these?” I asked in a teasing voice and they giggled.

“I am your parent. I can read your mind.” I giggled when they kissed my cheek and went to sit down at the table where Oma, Opa, Jr, Jane, EJ and I would sit. Zaza and Papa got their own and everyone else sat wherever they wanted.

We all talked as we ate the cake and lunch that was served in a buffet style where we all got up and took whatever we wanted. Of course, Oma had to express her disappointment in the whole cake incident but she downplayed her feelings so she wouldn’t upset everyone at the table.

“Well I thought it was funny,” Jane said and took a bite of cake. “What’s the point of a wedding if you can’t have any fun? Henry and I did the same for our wedding which is why I came prepared with the wipes. Toby told me that he wanted to do it so I could come prepared.” Oma looked at her with wide eyes.

“You really did that at your wedding?”

“Oh of course!” EJ said. “Where do you think Toby got that idea from and his fun-loving nature? He just grew up in that sort of environment.”

“I wish I grew up with you guys.” Jr’s comment was totally unexpected and we all looked over at him. “You two sound like so much fun. My parents are so boring.”

“Well I can’t deny that.” Opa chuckled. “We are a bit boring, aren’t we?”

“Yup.”

We all laughed except for Oma who remained silent for the rest of the meal. She did look up from time to time when something was directed at her but she didn’t say that much. Oh well. She could be bitter but we were all going to have fun and not let her sour mood spoil the day for the rest of us.

Sometime during lunch, EJ stood up and tapped his glass with a knife to get everyone’s attention. “Excuse me, everyone, I don’t mean to interrupt your lunch but it is time for the best man’s speech. As you might have guessed, this wedding is by no means traditional so the best man is someone who might come as a surprise to you. I welcome Feronia to stand.”

“Thanks Gramps,” I said as I stood up while EJ took his seat. I looked around the room and my hands immediately started shaking. Was I ready for this? Sure I knew my lines but seeing all these people... I wanted to throw up... Well... I _was_ able to stand in front of these people during the ceremony but it was different now that all eyes were on me... I took a deep breath and focused on my parents. “As you all know, my name is Feronia Rogers, daughter of the newlyweds. I was honoured when my Papa came to me and asked me to be his best man. I guess it would be the best woman but nonetheless, he picked me and I have worked on this speech over the past two weeks.

My parents are the best parents one could ask for. Papa has filled my childhood with such joy. There was never a dull moment with him and we always laughed. He was the light in our house. He never let either of us feel sad and if we were, he would do everything in his power to make us smile.

As I grew, he would always come up with some fun activity for the three of us to do together as a family. My favourite season is summer because I love having water balloon fights or just splashing my parents in water.

Words cannot describe how grateful I am to have been born to such loving and devoting parents. I am truly lucky. Papa is so fun-loving and Zaza is so smart. I learned how to have fun from Papa and learned so many things from history to the arts from Zaza. I even got my love of reading from them. Together, they provided me with the most amazing life which was full of love.

With all this said, I did feel bad in the last few years as I felt like I was keeping them from getting married sooner. I know that they had me so, therefore, they prioritized me over themselves so I am glad to see that they can now focus on themselves. They deserve it after fifteen long years of having to look after a troublemaker like myself.

Now that they have finally tied the knot, I can’t wait to see what will happen next. When Papa proposed to Zaza, I could hardly believe what was going on. In his own unique style, he integrated it into the normal conversation we were having at the time and out of nowhere, dropped to one knee and asked the famous question.

When Zaza and I had gotten over the initial shock of it and they _obviously_ accepted, I was so happy for them. For years I had been wondering and asking them when they were going to get married and that was just one step closer to it finally happening and now, here we are. Today is the day that not only I but my parents have been waiting for, ever since they met.

The story is something right out of romance novel. My parents met in Denver at night under the moonlight. From what I was told, it was a full moon and a fairly warm autumn day. I think we can all agree that it doesn’t get any more romantic than that. They saw each other and just clicked and I hope to find that same love when I grow up although, knowing Papa, I won’t be able to date for the next forty years.

He and Zaza are the ones who have shown me that true love is real. At first, I thought that soul mates and true love that never dies was something that only existed in movies and books. It seems so perfect that it can’t possibly be true but living with them, I _know_ that it is. True love is _real_ and they showed me that it is. They are the _perfect_ couple.

In all my life, I don’t think I have ever seen them actually fight. Sure there have been disagreements as no couple is completely happy with each other 100% of the time. That is another thing they taught me. Nothing is perfect and that includes relationships but to overcome that and to strengthen your bond is to work through the problem as a team. That’s what being a couple is all about. ‘It’s not you against your partner when it comes to a problem but it’s you _and_ your partner _against_ the problem’ Papa once said to me after they worked through a disagreement.

That is how they were able to stay together for this long and I know that they will remain together until the end of their days on this earth. I like to think that when a person dies, their soul lives on so when they pass I know they will be able to find each other again whether they live on in the afterlife or get reincarnated back on this earth. That is how connected they are. When they are together, they aren’t two people, they are one. One soul connected by the love they have for each other.

Today has truly been a magical day and I am thrilled to be here to celebrate it with my parents. Thank you both for everything you have done for me, for raising me, loving me and showing me what true love is. Thank you for showing me that it doesn’t have to be something that is exclusive to fiction. That it is something that really does exist. I love you both and I know I have told you this hundreds of times before but I mean it, I am so thankful to have you as my parents.” Everyone cheered when I finished and I felt so relieved. It was over and I could relax. I said what I wanted to say and I got through it without any embarrassing mistakes. I would have cried if I messed it up.

“You did great sweetie!” Jane exclaimed and kissed my cheek over and over again.

“Thanks...” I said in a shaky voice. After EJ pried Jane off me, I went back to eating my food and throughout the rest of the meal, I had person after person come up to me to congradulate and praise me for my speech. It was nice but all I wanted was to shrink into the shadows and to be ignored. My heart was pounding in my chest and I just needed time to cool down.

After lunch, it was time for dancing! I was ready and eager to dance but as tradition, Zaza and Papa had the first dance. I sat on EJ’s lap as we watched them. The song they danced to was _Can’t Help Falling In Love_ by none other than Elvis Presley. It was a lovely slow dance and when the song ended, they kissed and everyone cheered.

Next up was the Father ‘daughter’ dance. Opa and Zaza danced to some piano music that I didn’t recognize but it was pretty sounding and perfect for the occasion. After that, Papa danced with Jane, Zaza danced with EJ and Oma danced with Papa. When they had danced with the parents the stage was open to everyone. I jumped up and went right to Papa and grabbed his hand. “My turn to dance with you!”

“Alright, let’s go.” We giggled when Papa picked me up and spun me around. When he put me down he took my hands in his and we danced together. About halfway through the song, Zaza came up and stole me away from Papa. I giggled as they spun me around in their arms and at the end, we reunited with Papa and we all danced together.

It was an amazing day and I loved every moment of it. Finally, my parents had tied the knot and would live the rest of their lives happily married. We had always been a real family but now that they were married it just felt more real. They were now committed to each other and vowed to always be together and they honoured those vows for the rest of their lives.


	34. Epilogue

After the wedding, Papa and Zaza got in the truck and drove back to the asylum. I knew what they were going to do when they got back to the RV but I didn’t want to think about it. The thought of them doing anything... _intimate_ was more than troubling for me.

With them gone, I was left with the others to help clean everything up. It was so boring and I was a bit sore and tired from all that dancing but it was something that had to be done. _Sigh_. The worst part of a wedding was getting stuck in the cleanup crew. Luckily, with Zaza’s big family, everything was cleaned up in no time.

When the cleanup was done, Jane, EJ, and I all went back to Zaza’s old house. In fact, the entire family made their way there. It felt very cramped with over thirty people crammed into this small house and I was in no mood to chat with anyone. Jane and EJ however... Those two were chatting away to anyone who wanted to talk which was just about everyone... Those two were the best choices to pretend to be Papa’s parents. Man, were they chatty...

After many hours, we were finally able to go home. Since my parents had taken the car we had to walk back. By the time we left, it was dark and I was exhausted. When we got to the bridge, my legs refused to move. Once I sat down on the ground for a short break there was no way I was getting up again. I complained when Jane tried getting me back to my feet and after a few minutes of whining, EJ had had enough, picked me up and carried me the rest of the way back. That was a win for me and he even carried me back to my room and left me on the bed. I was ready to fall asleep right then but Jane insisted that I remove my makeup and change into my PJs.

“Fine...” I grunted and sat up on the bed. I could feel every muscle in my legs and feet screaming out to me. I was going to feel horrible the next day... Jane helped me to my feet and got me ready for bed. Bless her. If I didn’t have her then I would have passed out with a full face of makeup.

When I was all cleaned up and changed I crawled into bed and went right to sleep. I was so tired that not only did I sleep through the night but all the way until noon which was very unusual for me.

For the next month, we gave Papa and Zaza some space. We didn’t even see them the entire time. When they weren’t doing... certain _things_... in the RV they took off in the truck to the neighbouring town to go shopping or to just spend time with each other that wasn’t in the bedroom.

They must have felt so relieved to be free from me. For once they could do whatever they wanted without worrying about if I ate, got enough sleep, wasn’t getting in trouble, etc. They could sleep in as late as they wanted or stay up all night, eat whatever they wanted when they wanted and just enjoy each other’s company in peace and quiet. That must have felt foreign to them but so nice.

While they did whatever people do on honeymoons, I stayed back at the asylum with the proxies. The Boss was kind enough to give me some days off after the wedding to let me rest but when I was feeling better he had me train like never before... Every day I crawled into bed with sore and tender muscles and my lungs burned. In the beginning, I felt like I was dying but over time my body got used to the workouts and I was able to go on for longer without feeling like I was going to die on the spot.

By the time Zaza and Papa returned to the asylum, my strength and stamina had greatly improved since they last saw me. They were both impressed and Papa couldn’t wait to teach me more fighting techniques and how to pick locks. I was excited but until I reached the Boss’s goal, I couldn’t deviate from the planned lessons. So annoying but whatever.

A few weeks after the honeymoon Zaza and Papa had a big announcement for us. They sat us all down in the living room and when everyone was there, Zaza held Papa’s hand and looked up at him. “You tell them.”

“Alright.” Papa kissed their forehead and turned to us. He glanced around the room and looked at me last. “Well, everyone... Lou and I just found out that we are expecting another child.”

There was a short pause before the room erupted into cheers. Jane squealed and tackled Zaza in a hug. “I’m so happy for you! Congratulations!”

“Thanks Jane.”

“So Feronia, are you ready to be a big sister?” Papa asked. He was nervous as I was the only one who was still frozen in place. I was in shock. Neither of them had said anything about trying for a kid. This was a total shock to me. I didn’t say anything. I just ran up to Papa when I came back to the real world and gave him the biggest hug. I couldn’t even speak. I was just so happy. I squeezed him as tightly as I could and nuzzled my face against his chest. “I take it that you’re happy..?”

“Yes! I am _thrilled_! I always wanted to be a big sister!” I said as the tears flowed down my cheeks.

Papa chuckled and kissed the top of my head. “I’m glad to hear that. I guess I should say, congratulations to you then. You are going to be a big sister in about six months. How does that sound?”

“Six months?!” I exclaimed and looked up at him. “That’s not far away! Why didn’t you tell us sooner?! That’s three months gone already! When did you conceive Zaza?!”

“We couldn’t tell you guys sooner. It’s better to wait until you reach the second trimester before you start to tell people just in case you miscarry.” Zaza explained. “The chances of miscarriage are highest during the first trimester but once you clear that, the risk is very very slim if you take care of yourself and have a healthy pregnancy. EJ is the only one who knew as I needed someone to make sure everything was going smoothly.”

“Uncle, how do you know so many things? I knew you know loads about surgery but pregnancy too? How smart are you?”

EJ burst out laughing. “Why thank you for calling me smart. I am only knowledgeable with things concerning medicine but ask me about anything else and I am a fuckhead.”

“Babe, don’t say that about yourself,” Brian said. He leaned over and kissed EJ’s cheek who smiled.

“Well I spend all of my time learning anything and everything I can in the medical field. I’m not interested in anything else so on any other topic, yes I am quite stupid.”

“Not to me.”

“Are you two done being gross?” I asked. Everyone in the room began laughing while those two grew red.

“Yea... We’re done...” EJ said and cleared his throat.

After that announcement, we all planned for when the baby was to arrive. Six months went by super fast and not long after the announcement, Zaza began to grow. Papa took me out to the mall and we bought everything a baby would need. Luckily we didn’t need that much as he and Zaza had kept many of my baby items.

I had so much fun looking through my old clothes and toys. Thank goodness they got all gender neutral colours so whatever the baby would be, they would be able to use these clothes. With that taken care of, we looked through my toys and anything we felt was no good we got rid of. We bought some new toys and other things for babies like a thing used to clear their nose of mucus. Gross but necessary to keep a baby healthy.

Six months went by super fast and in no time at all, the baby wanted to come into the world. Zaza had gone into labour in the early hours of the morning. I wasn’t even aware that it had started. They were with Papa in the RV so their screams didn’t reach us.

I slept in until nine and when I woke up I went to grab breakfast like normal, totally unaware of what was going on. Everyone came in the living room and life carried on like normal. The day went on as usual and we all went to bed when the sun went down.

After breakfast the next day, I went to the RV to see my parents and when I opened the door I was greeted with the cries and screams of a newborn baby.

“Ah, Feronia. You’re just in time.” Papa said as he entered the main living space from the bedroom. “The baby just arrived only a few minutes ago.”

“What?! How long was Zaza in labour for?!”

“That doesn’t matter. Go be with them while I dump this.” He nodded to the bin he was holding that had a dirty towel covering it. I didn’t have to ask what was in it. I knew it was the placenta. _Gross_.

I rushed past him and went into the bedroom. There I found Zaza sitting in the bed with a little bundle in their arms. I had no words and just stood at the door. “Hey baby...” Zaza said. I noticed how tired they were which was to be expected. They had just given birth to a tiny human. They must have been exhausted. “Come sit with me. Meet your little brother.”

“Brother..?” I repeated and they nodded. I took a deep breath and slowly walked over to the bed. I sat beside them and looked down at the baby in their arms.

 

_My baby brother..._

 

He had settled down when sat down. He stopped his fussing and opened his big green eyes. “He has your eyes.”

“That was the first thing your father said when he saw him.” Zaza giggled.

“I’m not surprised. He has the biggest green eyes I have ever seen.”

“And beautiful bright red hair.” Zaza moved the blanket off his head to show his hair. He had a decent amount of his head and it was a very bright red. Much brighter than Oma’s hair.

“Look at that.” I gasped.

“He inherited more of the Irish side of my family than you did, that’s for sure.” We giggled and after some talking, Zaza let me hold him. I was a bit nervous at first because he was so small and so brand new. He hadn’t been in the world for three hours when he was passed to me. I made sure to hold on to him securely until I got comfortable. “Don’t be nervous. You won’t hurt or drop him. I know you are nervous but trust me, everything will be fine. When you first arrived I was scared I would drop you but Toby just put you in my arms and I forgot all about my fears.”

“He’s just so small and delicate.”

“I know. That’s what I said about you at the beginning but I wanted to hold you so much that I pushed the thought aside. The more you hold him the less afraid you’ll be and I have a feeling you will be holding him a lot once you get accustomed to it. Papa and I will need all the help we can get.”

“I’ll always be here to help.”

“That’s my girl.” Zaza wrapped an arm around me and we sat there admiring my brother.

When Papa came back he smiled when he saw us. “How are you doing my love?”

“Tired.” And with that, Zaza let out a yawn.

“I bet. You get some rest. Feronia and I will look after him until he’s ready to eat again.”

“Alright.” I gave my brother to Papa and got off the bed. Zaza lay down and I pulled the covers up to their chin. “Thanks sweetie.”

“You’re welcome. Have a nice sleep.”

“I’ll try. I’m going to need all the rest I can get as I am now a twenty-four hour restaurant all over again.” We all laughed and Papa and I left the room to let them rest.

“So what is his name? I know you and Zaza were having trouble picking out one you both liked.”

“We settled on Axel.”

“Nice! Did you name him that because he reminds you of Axel from Kingdom Hearts..?”

“Uh... No..?”

“Papa!” We laughed again and went to sit on the couch. We got comfortable and Papa turned on the TV. We had just enough time to watch a movie before Axel started crying, telling us that he was hungry.

Papa got up from his seat and took him to see Zaza who probably woke up the moment Axel started crying. I smiled as I watched Papa walk back to the bedroom. I couldn’t believe it. Finally, I was a big sister.

I couldn’t wait to watch my brother grow and to teach him everything I knew about history and art and to introduce him to new books. I was going to read everything to him. There were so many stories I wanted to show him. Life is going to be so interesting and so much fun now that I had a little brother.

 

I can’t wait to see what the future holds.


End file.
